IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


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Photographic 

Sciences 

Corporation 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  NY    14580 

(71*)  872-4503 


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CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHM/ICMH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Institute  for  Historical  Microreproductions  /  Institut  Canadian  de  microreproductions  historiques 


T«chnical  and  Bibliographic  Notaa/Notas  tachniquaa  at  bibiiographiquaa 


Tha  Inatituta  haa  attamptad  to  obtain  tha  baat 
originai  copy  availabia  for  filming.  Faaturaa  of  thia 
copy  which  may  ba  bibiiographically  uniqua. 
which  may  altar  any  of  tha  imagaa  in  tha 
raproduction.  or  which  may  aignificantly  changa 
tha  uaual  mathod  of  filming,  ara  chaclcad  balow. 


D 


D 


D 


n 


D 


D 


Colourad  covara/ 
Couvartura  da  coulaur 


r~~|   Covara  damagad/ 


Couvartura  andommagAa 

Covara  raatorad  and/or  laminatad/ 
Couvartura  raataurAa  at/ou  palliculAa 


□   Covar  titia  miaaing/ 
La 


titra  da  couvartura  manqua 


r~|   Colourad  mapa/ 


Cartaa  g4ographiquaa  an  coulaur 

Colourad  inic  (i.a.  othar  than  blua  or  biaclc)/ 
Encra  da  coulaur  (i.a.  autra  qua  blaua  ou  noira) 


r~|   Colourad  plataa  and/or  illuatrationa/ 


Planchaa  at/ou  illuatrationa  an  coulaur 

Bound  with  othar  matarial/ 
Rali4  avac  d'autraa  (Ijcumanta 

Tight  binding  may  cauaa  ahadowa  or  diatortion 
along  intarior  margin/ 

La  raliura  aarrie  paut  cauaar  da  I'ombra  ou  da  la 
diatortion  la  long  da  la  marga  IntAriaura 

Blank  laavaa  addad  during  raatoration  may 
appaar  within  tha  taxt.  Whanavar  poaaibia,  thaaa 
hava  baan  omittati  from  filming/ 
II  aa  paut  qua  cartainaa  pagaa  blanchaa  aJoutAaa 
lora  d'una  raatauration  apparaiaaant  dans  la  taxta, 
mala,  loraqua  cala  4tait  poaaibia.  caa  pagaa  n'ont 
paa  *t4  filmAaa. 

Additional  commanta:/ 
Commantairaa  aupplimaniiairaa: 


L'Inatitut  a  microfilm*  la  maillaur  axamplaira 
qu'il  lui  a  AtA  poaaibia  da  aa  procurar.  Laa  dAtaiia 
da  cat  axamplaira  qui  aont  paut-Atra  uniquaa  du 
point  da  vua  bibliographiqua.  qui  pauvant  modifiar 
una  imaga  raproduita,  ou  qui  pauvant  axigar  una 
modification  dana  la  mAthoda  norrnala  da  filmaga 
aont  indiquto  ci-daaaoua. 


□   Colourad  pagai/ 
Pagaa  da  coulaur 


n 
n 

n 


D 


Pagaa  damagad/ 
Pagaa  andommagAaa 

Pagaa  raatorad  and/or  laminatad/ 
Pagaa  raataurtea  at/ou  pailiculAaa 

Pagaa  diacolourad,  atainad  or  foxad/ 
Pagaa  dAcoiordaa,  tachatAaa  i  u  piquAaa 

Pagaa  datachad/ 
Pagaa  dAtach6aa 

Shovi/through/ 
Tranaparanca 


I     I   Quality  of  print  variaa/ 


Quality  InAgala  da  I'impraaaion 

Includaa  aupplamantary  matarial/ 
Comprand  du  material  aupplAmantaira 


r~|   Only  adition  availabia/ 


Saula  idition  diaponibia 

Pagaa  wholly  or  partially  obacurad  by  arrata 
alipa.  tiaauaa,  ate,  hava  baan  rafilmad  to 
anaura  tha  baat  poaaibia  imaga/ 
Laa  pagaa  totalamant  ou  partiallamant 
obacurciaa  par  un  fauillat  d'arrata,  una  palura, 
ate,  ont  At  A  filmAaa  A  no^jvaau  da  fa9on  h 
obtanir  la  maillaura  imaga  poaaibia. 


7 

t( 


1 

0 

f 


C 
fa 

ti 
ii 
G 
f 
S 
0 


7 

s 
7 

V 

d 

a 
b 
ri 
ri 
n 


Thia  itam  Is  filmad  at  tha  raduction  ratio  chackad  balow/ 

Ca  documant  ast  film*  au  taux  da  reduction  indiqu*  ci-dassous. 


10X 

14X 

18X 

22X 

26X 

30X 

„ 

y 

12X                            16X                            20X                            24X                            28X                            32X 

Th»  copy  filmed  h«r«  has  b««n  r«produc«d  thanks 
to  tha  ganarosity  of: 

Library  Division 

Provincial  Archives  of  British  Columbia 


L'axamplaira  film*  f ut  raproduit  grAca  A  la 
gAnArosit*  da: 

Library  Division 

Provincial  Archives  of  British  Columbia 


Tha  imagas  appaaring  hara  ara  tha  bast  quality 
possibia  considaring  tha  condition  and  lagibility 
of  tha  original  copy  and  in  kaaping  with  tha 
filming  contract  spacifications. 


Original  copias  in  printad  papar  covars  ara  filmad 
beginning  with  tha  front  covar  and  anding  on 
tha  last  paga  with  a  printad  or  illustratad  impras- 
iion.  or  tha  back  covar  whan  appropriate.  All 
othar  original  copias  ara  filmad  beginning  on  the 
first  paga  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  Impres- 
sion, and  anding  on  the  last  paga  with  a  printed 
or  illustrated  impression. 


The  last  recorded  frame  on  each  microfiche 
shall  contain  the  symbol  — ^  (meaning  "CON- 
TINUED"), or  the  symbol  V  (meaning  "END"), 
whichever  applies. 


Les  images  suivantes  ont  *t4  raproduites  avac  la 
plus  grand  soin.  compta  tenu  de  la  condition  at 
da  la  nettet*  de  Texemplaira  film*,  et  en 
conformity  avac  las  conditions  du  contrat  de 
filmaga. 

Les  exemplairas  originaux  dont  la  couverture  en 
papier  est  imprimAe  sont  filmAs  en  commengant 
par  la  premier  plat  et  en  terminant  soit  par  la 
darnlAre  paga  qui  comporta  una  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration.  soit  par  la  second 
plat,  salon  le  cas.  Tous  les  autras  exemplairas 
originaux  sont  fiimis  en  commen^ant  par  la 
pramiAre  paga  qui  comporta  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration  at  en  terminant  par 
la  dernidre  page  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 

Un  des  symboles  suivants  apparaitra  sur  la 
derniAre  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  le 
cas:  la  symbola  -^  signifie  "A  SUIVRE  ".  le 
symbole  V  signifie  "FIN". 


Maps,  plates,  charts,  etc.,  may  be  filmed  at 
different  reduction  ratios.  Those  too  large  to  be 
entirely  included  in  one  exposure  are  filmed 
beginning  in  the  upper  left  hand  corner,  left  to 
right  and  tup  to  bottom,  as  many  frames  as 
required.  The  following  diagrams  illustrate  the 
method: 


Les  cartes,  planches,  tableaux,  etc.,  peuvent  Atre 
filmAs  A  des  taux  da  reduction  diffArants. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  Atre 
reproduit  en  un  seul  clichA.  il  est  film*  6  partir 
de  Tangle  supArieur  gauche,  de  gauche  A  droite, 
et  de  haut  en  bas,  en  prenant  le  nombre 
d'images  nAcessaire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
illustrent  la  mAthode. 


12  3 


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2 

3 

4 

5 

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CENTS  ^ 

A  WEEK 


A  MINING 
EDUCATION 

COMPLETE  \ 

The  Correspondence  School  of  Mines 

is  making  .in  of[i;r  unheard  of  in  the  history  of  education.  For  fs  down  and 
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in  the  world.  You  study  at  home,  and  earn  a  living  at  the  same  time.  Hun- 
dreds of  miners  and  prospectors  have  been  helped  to  better  things  by  our  courses. 


SIX  MINING  COURSES 

J.  THE  METAL  PROSPECTORS'  SCHOLARSHIP  x— 

is  intended  for  metal  prospectors,  resi-  ^  (|iialiii(.s  to  prospect  economically 
dents  of  metal-mining  districts,  and  \  )  and  successfully,  do  assaying  and 
all  others  interested  in  metal  miniiiK  \  >  blow-piping,  ind  open  and  work 
or  prospecting.  ^  pl.tcer  mines. 

2.  THE  METAL-MINING  SCHOLARSHIP:— 

is  intended  for  metal  miners,  mine 
managerT',  foremen,  mill  ^  fr.reincn, 
officers  nf  milling  companies,  mine 
owners,  metallurgists,  quarrymen, 
etc. 


i>  a  complete  education  in  metal  mi- 
nine  and  the  related  sciences  ;  and 
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ore  and  placer  mines.  Gives  all  up- 
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3.  THE  FULL  MINING  SCHOLARSHIP: 


is  intended  for  mining  engineers, 
mine  officials,  miners,  and  dll  persons 
interested  in  any  branch  of  mining 
whatever. 


includes  both  coal  and  metal  mining, 
and  is  the  most  complete,  comprehen- 
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4.  THE  MINE  MECHANICAL  SCHOLARSHIP : 

is  intended  for  stationary  engineers,  % 
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5.  THE  COMPLETE  COAL-MINING  SCHOLARSHIP:— 


is  intended  for  ambitious  miners,  mine 
officials,  surveyors,  clerks,  etc.,  who 
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quajifics  to  fill  any  position  about  a 
colliery,  or  to  pass  examinations  for 
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6.  THE  SHORT  COAL-MINING  SCHOLARSHIP:— 


is  intended   for   miners  and   ofTicials 
who  have  little  time  to  study 


(qualifies    to    pass    examinations   for 
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FREE  ASSAY  COUPONS 

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InvMtinte  Our  Methods.  Send  for  the  name  of  a  student  in  your 
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Tbe  Correspondence  School  of  Mines 


Scranton,  Pa, 


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Placer  Mining 

A  HAND-BOOK  FOR  KLONDIKE  AND  OTHER 
MINERS  AND  PROSPECTORS     ;     _ 

"  WITH 

INTRODUCTORY  CHAPTERS  REGARDING  THE  RECENT 
GOLD  DISCOVERIES  IN  THE  YUKON  VALLEY,  THE 
ROUTES  TO  THE   GOLD  FIELDS.  OUTFIT  RE- 
QUIRED.   AND   MINING   REGULATIONS  OF 
ALASKA  AND  THE  CANADIAN  YUKON. 

ALSO 

A  Map  of  the  Yukon  Valley,  Embracing  all  the  Information 

Obtainable  from   Reliable  Sources  up  to 

December  ist.   1897. 


scranton,  pa. 
THE  COLLIERY  ENGINEER  COMPANY 

'897  /         .:      .      _ 


•:i:, 


KluJ 


1 

I  l 


Entered  according  to  the  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1807,  by  The  Coli.iery 
Engineer  Company,  in  the  office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress, 

at  Washington. 


PREFACE. 


RV 


The  demand  for  this  book  is  the  excuse  for  its  appearance. 
Tho  usands  have  rushed  off  to  the  Klondike,  not  only  ignorant 
of  the  first  principles  of  placer  mining,  the  only  occupation 
at  which  any  one  can  make  a  living  in  that  region,  but  also 
almost  entirely  ignorant  of  the  nature  of  the  country  into 
which  they  went.  It  is  said  that  not  more  than  5  out  of 
100  of  those  who  started  for  the  Klondike  in  the  fall  of  1897 
had  any  better  information  as  to  how  to  reach  the  diggings 
or  what  to  do  after  they  reached  them  than  to  "follow  the 
crowd."  It  is  needless  to  say  that  those  who  expected  to 
find  the  journey  to  Dawson  City  a  pleasure  trip,  or  who 
threw  away  their  outfits  in  the  scramble  to  be  first  at  the 
mines,  or  who  expected  to  dig  gold  from  the  ground  as 
the  farmer  digs  potatoes,  have  long  since  found  their  mis- 
take. Fortunately,  several  thousands  of  those  who  started 
for  the  mines  were  obliged  to  turn  back  and  wait  till 
spring.  From  these  and  from  thousands  of  others  who 
expect  to  be  in  the  rush  to  Alaska  in  the  spring  and  summer 
of  1898  has  come  a  demand  for  such  information  as  this  book 
contains.  It  is  believed  that  in  this  little  volume  is  sum- 
marized all  the  most  important  and  reliable  information 
obtainable  regarding  the  Yukon  gold  fields,  or  which  can  be 
obtained  before  the  summer  of  1808;  that  it  contains  the 
best  map  of  these  regions  yet  published,  and  the  most  prac- 
tical, and,  hence,  the  most  valuable  treatise  on  placer  and 
hydraulic  mining  in  print.  We  recommend  this  book  to  the 
mining  public,  confident  that  it  will  make  friends  wherever 
it  goes. 

The  Colliery  Enchneer  Co., 

Scranton,  Pa. 

December,  1897.  * 

1580sU) 


■MMinaiHi 


CONTENTS. 


Chapter 
I. 

11. 
III. 
IV. 

V. 

VI. 
VII. 

VIII. 
IX. 

X. 


XI. 

XII. 
XIII. 
XIV. 


The  Yukon  Gold  Fields  - 
How  TO  Take  Care  op  Yourselk     - 
Yukon  Miners'  Outfit 
Routes  to  the  Yukon  Gold  Fields 
Routes  to  the  Yukon    Gold    Fields — 
Continued         -         -         -         .         . 

Mining  Regulations  of  Alaska 

Mining     Regulations     of      Northwest 
Canada      ----.. 

The  Origin  of  Gold  Placers    - 

Or. (UN  AND  Development  of  Placer 
Mining        -         -  ... 

Methods  of  Working— Surface  Minin<;; 
Working  Frozen  Ground:  Drifting; 
Hydraulicking  .... 

Water  Supply— Reservoirs,  Dams,  and 
Measurement  of  Water 

Water  Supply— Ditches  and  Flumes 
Water  Supply— Pipes  and  Nozzles 
Placer  Mining  Practice — Development 
op  Gol     Washing  Apparatus 


page 

1 

0 

10 

22 

35 

42 

40 
40 

53 


02 

73 

81 

87 

90 


VI 


CONTENTS. 


XV.     Placer  Mining  Practice— Blasting  and 
Tunneling;  Sluices,   Undercurrents, 
ETC.;  Tailings  and  Dump 
XVI.     Placer    Mining    Practice— Washing    or 

Hydraulicking 

XVII.     Examples  of  Placers — The  Alma  Placer 
XVIII.     Examples     of      Placers— The     Roscoe 
Placer      


105 

115 
124 

134 


105 

115 
124 

134 


PLACER   MINING. 


CHAPTER   1. 

THE  YUKON  GOLD  FIELDS. 

In  July,  1897,  one  of  the  greatest  and  richest  gold  fields 
ever  opened  was  brought  to  the  notice  of  the  civilized  world. 
In  this  case,  it  did  not  require  months  of  time  and  labor  to 
verify  the  stories  of  wealth  brought  over  by  a  hundred 
miners  from  the  Klondike  district,  situated  just  across  the 
A'askan  border  in  the  Northwest  Territory,  These  miners 
had  ample  evidence  that  gold  existed  in  plenty  where  they 
came  from,  for  the  steamers  Excelsior  and  Portland,  on 
which  they  came,  brought  down  $1,100,000,  or  more  than 
$10,000  for  each  miner.  This  was  just  the  beginning. 
During  August,  September,  and  October,  steamer  after 
steamer  b  .  ght  down  men  with  sacks  or  valises  full  of  the 
precious  metal,  until  $2,500,000  in  gold  has  been  brought 
out  and  put  into  circulation.  Within  a  year  after  gold  was 
discovered  on  the  Klondike  in  August,  18<)G,  $5,500,000  had 
been  taken  out  on  Eldorado  and  Bonanza  Creeks.  Over 
half  of  the  output  was  kept  at  the  mines  for  use  in  business 
operations,  gold  dust  being  the  only  circulating  medium  in 
use  there.  At  least  $1,000,000  more  would  have  been 
brought  out  in  the  fall  had  not  the  Yukon  River  become 
lower  than  ever  before  known  in  August,  preventing  the 
river  boats  from  making  their  final  trips  to  the  diggings. 
As  the  gold  is  too  heavy  to  bring  out  overland,  it  was  kept 
at  the  diggings  until  spring. 


T 


2 


PLACER  MINING. 


For  richness  of  the  ground  the  Klondike  has  seldom  been 
equaled  in  the  history  of  gold  mining.  Single  claims  pro- 
duced 1150,000  and  1200,000  during  the  winter  of  1896,  and 
in  the  spring  the  owners  declared  they  had  worked  only 
small  corners  of  their  mines.  Single  pans  of  dirt  (2  shovel- 
fuls) yie'-^ed  $800  and  $1,000,  and  pans  containing  $800  to 
$500  were  not  uncommon. 

The  most  authentic  news  obtainable  places  the  prospec- 
tive output  of  gold  between  December,  1807,  and  July,  1898, 


t 


DAWSON   CITY.  ^       . 

at  $20,000,000.  It  is  predicted  by  conservative  men  who 
returned  from  the  Klondike  in  October,  1897,  that  the  steam- 
ers which  reach  Puget  Sound  next  July  will  bring  down 
$15,000,000  to  $17,000,000,  or  about  40  tons  of  gold  dust  and 
nuggets. 

Dr.  Dawson,  of  the  Canadian  Government,   after  whom 


een 

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nly 

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PLACER  MINING.  m      8 

m 

Dawson  City,  the  center  of  the  recent  gold  discoveries,  is 
named,  states  that  he  considers  the  Yukon  destined  to  be 
the  greatest  mining  country  the  world  ever  saw.  He  antici- 
pates that  the  recent  discoveries  will  lead  to  the  develop- 
ment of  quartz  mining,  in  which  is  the  staple  wealth  of  any 
mining  country.  Experienced  prospectors  have  already 
made  a  number  of  valuable  gold  quartz  discoveries  in  the 
Yukon  district,  and  many  more  are  sure  to  follow. 

Inspector  Strickland,  of  the  Yukon  mounted  police,  in 
speaking  of  the  Klondike  discoveries,  says : 

*' There  has  been  no  exaggeration.  I  have  seen  nothing 
in  newspapers  in  regard  to  the  richness  of  the  field  that  is 
not  true.  Great  strikes  have  been  made,  but  the  amount 
of  gold  is  unlimited.  There  are  hundreds  of  creeks  rich  in 
gold-bearing  placers,  never  yet  entered  by  prospectors.  Of 
course,  all  the  claims  in  the  creeks  now  opened  are  taken 
up,  but  those  are  only  beginnings,  I  believe,  of  much  great- 
er finds." 

The  most  conservative  and  accurate  statement  of  what 
has  been  accomplished  on  the  Klondike  is  that  made  by 
William  Ogilvie,  the  official  Surveyor  for  the  Dominion  of 
Canada,  who  returned  in  September,  1807,  from  a  two  years' 
stay  on  the  Yukon,  this  being  his  second  trip  to  that  coun- 
try. Mr.  Ogilvie  has  had  unusual  facilities  for  observation, 
having  surveyed  the  claims  on  the  Klondike.     He  says: 

"When  we  consider  the  unseasonable  weather,  ihe  un- 
favorable conditions  for  mining,  and  the  still  more  unfavor- 
able conditions  regarding  food,  utensils,  and  labor,  what  has 
been  accomplished  on  the  Klondike  may,  without  hazard, 
be  asserted  to  be  unique  in  the  history  of  mining.  I  will  do 
no  more  than  say  generally  that  we  have  a  region  which 
will  yet  be  the  scene  of  numerous  mining  enterpri<5es,  both 
placer   and   quartz,    the    latter    practically    inexhaustible. 


4  PLACER  MINING. 

This  country  under  more  favorable  conditions  would  be 
the  richest  and  most  extensive  mining  area  in  the  world  to- 
day. Notwithstanding  the  disadvantages  of  long,  cold  win- 
ters and  lack  of  roads,  we  have  here  a  wide  field  for  profitable 
investment  and  room  for  thousands  of  happy,  contented, 
cultivated  homes. " 


OTHBR    YUKON    DISTRICTS. 

The  Klondike  is  but  one  of  several  valuable  placer  deposits 
in  the  Yukon  Valley,  among  which  are  the  Hootalinqua, 
Stewart,  MacMillan,  Forty-Mile,  Sixty-Mile,  Birch  Creek, 
Munook   Creek,  Tanana,  and  Koyukuk  districts. 

These  rich  gold  fields  extend  along  the  Yukon  Valley  for 
upwards  of  1,200  miles,  and  lie  on  both  sides  of  the  boundary 
between  Alaska  and  Canada.  Some  of  the  richest  placer 
deposits  in  the  world  lie  in  the  neighborhood  of  Circle  City, 
Alaska,  and  were  abandoned  in  the  rush  to  the  Klondike  last 
winter.  Valuable  placer  deposits  have  recently  been  found 
on  Munook  Creek,  450  miles  west  of  Circle  City,  and  there- 
cent  discovery  of  gold  mines  in  Siberia  shows  that  they  are 
in  the  same  belt.  These  mines  are  in  the  same  chain  of 
mount-  'ns  that  supplied  California's  gold,  and  in  the  same 
general  line  with  the  Peru  fields.  Running  up  the  coast, 
this  gold  vein  traverses  Alaska  and,  crossing  Bering  Strait, 
crops  out  again  in  Siberia.  The  whole  Alaskan  region  is, 
therefore,  within  the  gold  belt,  and  there  is  scarcely  a  place 
within  its  confines  where  gold  has  been  diligently  sought  in 
which  it  has  not  been  found  in  greater  or  less  quantity. 
A  merican  miners  and  prospectors  are  advised  to  expend  their 
energies  in  discovering  the  deposits  which  exist  on  the 
American  side  of  the  line,  as  they  will  then  be  free  from  any 
exactions  and  restrictions  imposed  by  the  Canadian  Govern- 
ment. 


nSHIBB! 


PLACER    MINING. 


4 


In  the  summer  of  181)0,  the  United  States  Government  had 
a  geological  survey  expert  make  a  thorough  investigation  of 
the  Alaskan  gold  fields.  The  result  of  the  exploration  is 
stated  by  the  director  of  the  survey  in  these  words: 

'*  Sufficient  data  were  secured  to  establish  the  presence  of 
a  gold  belt  300  miles  in  length  in  Alaska,  which  enters  Alaska 
near  the  mouth  of  Forty-Mile  Creek,  and  extends  westward 
across  the  Yukon  Vallev  at  the  lower  ramparts.  Its  further 
extent  is  unknown.  There  is  plenty  of  room  for  many  more 
prospectors  and  miners  in  Alaska,  for  the  gulches  and  creeks 
which  have  shown  good  prospects  are  spread  over  an  areaol' 
seven  hundred  square  miles.  It  is  the  opinion  of  the  geolo- 
gist in  charge  of  the  expedition  that  it  is  entirely  practicable 
to  prosecute  quartz  mining  throughout  the  year  in  this 
region. " 

As  far  as  any  thorough  prospecting  is  concerned,  the  basin 
of  the  Yukon  has  hardly  been  entered.  The  main  river 
winds  through  a  distance  of  more  than  2,000  miles,  and  its 
tributaries  vary  in  length  from  GO  to  300  miles,  and,  until 
the  present  season,  not  more  than  5,000  miners  had  entered 
the  basin.  Hundreds  and  hundreds  of  square  miles  are  ab- 
solutely unknown.  The  Yukon  Basin  contains  an  extent  of 
territory  fully  equal  to  all  the  mining  districts  of  the  Paci- 
fic Coast  and  the  Rocky  Mountains  put  together.  Accord- 
ingly, there  are  unbounded  possibilities  of  further  rich  dis- 
coveries, because  the  conditions  and  the  character  of  the 
entire  basin  are  similar  to  the  Klondike.  No  hardy,  ener- 
getic man,  who  has  the  courage  and  determination  to  face 
the  particular  hardships  and  privations  of  prospecting  and 
mining  in  Alaska's  interior,  need  hesitate  for  fear  that  the 
field  will  all  be  taken. 

There  is  very  little  opening  in  the  Yukon  mining  fields 
for   professional   men,   clerks,    mechanics,    etc.,    unless,   of 


6 


PLACER   MINING. 


course,  they  have  a  good  practical  or  theoretical  knowledge 
of  prospecting  or  mining. 

Nor  should  a  man  start  for  the  Yukon  with  less  than 
!i<l,000  capital.  Those  who  go  should  be  prepared  to  stay 
a  couple  of  years,  as  the  average  prospector  has  to  sink  a 
great  many  shafts  through  the  frozen  ground  before  he 
reaches  anything  worth  his  while.  Ordinarily,  during  that 
time  he  has  excellent  chances  of  making  money,  with  the 
possibilities  of  a  fortune. 

CLIMATK. 

The  climate  of  the  Yukon  Valley  is  one  of  extreme 
rigor  in  winter,  with  a  brief  but  relatively  hot  summer,  es- 
pecially when  the  sky  is  free  from  clouds.  The  rainfall  is 
small,  averaging  10  inches,  or  about  one-fourth  that  of 
Pennsylvania  or  other  similar  parts  of  this  country.  Win- 
ter sets  in  early  in  »September  and  lasts  until  May.  The 
lowest  temperatures  during  the  vv^inter  of  1889-90  were  32°, 
47°,  50°,  55°,  45°,  and  20°  below  zero  in  the  months  from 
November  to  April,  and  the  highest  summer  temperatures 
are  about  95°.  The  change  from  winter  to  summer  is  quick, 
on  account  of  the  rapid  change  in  the  length  of  the  day, 
about  seven  minutes  per  day.  The  shortest  days  are  about 
four,  and  the  longest  about  twenty  hours  long.  In  the  short 
winter  days,  the  sun  is  so  little  above  the  horizon  and  so  apt 
to  be  covered  with  clouds  that,  but  for  the  bracing  air,  that 
season  would  be  very  depressing. 

TIMBER. 

A  gr'^at  part  of  the  Yukon  Valley  is  clothed  with  forests 
of  spruce,  cottonwood,  and  birch  timber,  all  of  which  is  good 
for  building  purposes.  The  hills  are  thickly  covered  with 
large  trees,  but  the  valleys  have  the  best  timber.  A  saw- 
mill at  Dawson  City  supplies  that  region  with  sawn  timber 


PLACER   MINING. 


at  a  cost  of  sIlJJO   per  thousand   feet,  and  next  summer  will 
see  several  others  established  where  they  will  be  needed.. 

The  country  contains  comparatively  little  game.  Moose, 
caribou,  and  black,  brown,  grizzly,  and  white  bears  are  oc- 
casionally seen.  Swallows  are  quite  thick  in  summer,  and 
geese  and  wild  ducks  breed  in  large  numbers  on  the  rocks 
and  rivers.  The  fishing  is  good,  particularly  for  the  king 
salmon,  which  weighs  80  to  100 pounds;  grayling,  white  fish, 
lake  trout,  and  eels  also  run  up  to  large  sizes.  Swarms  of 
mosquitoes  and,  later,  of  black  gnats,  are  the  pests  of  the 
Yukon  lowlands  in  summer,  and  have  even  been  known  to 
drive  the  miner  from  his  work. 

AGKICUI.TURAI.   POSSIBILITIES. 

There  is  a  considerable  area  of  land  in  the  Yukon  country 
with  low  valleys  and  good  soil,  which,  with  the  influx  of 
mining  population,  will  be  extensively  cultivated.  It  is  not 
a  farming  country,  but  can  be  successfully  tilled  for  local 
supplies.  Barley  and  oats  mature,  but  potatoes  have  barely 
time  to  ripen.  There  are  gardens  at  Forty-Mile  and  Fort 
Selkirk  in  which  are  raised  potatoes,  barley  and  oats,  turnips, 
lettuce,  radi.shes,  and  cabbages.  The  United  States  Govern- 
ment has  appropriated  ^15,000  for  an  experimental  farm 
next  summer  at  the  junction  of  the  Yukon  and  Tanana 
Rivers.  ' 

COST  OF  LIVING. 

The  cost  of  living  in  the  Yukon  Valley  is  at  present  very 
high,  as  will  be  seen  from  the  following  recent  quotaticms: 
Flour,  %l'i  per  hundred  weight  (following  are  the  prices  per 
pound);  moose  ham,  ill;  caribou  meat,  65  cents;  beans,  10; 
rice,  25;  sugar,  25;  bacon,  40;  potatoes,  25;  turnips,  15; 
coffee,  50;  dried  fruits,  35;  tea,  fl;  tobacco,  11.50;  butter, 
a  roll,  $1.50;  eggs,  a  dozen,  $1.50;  salmon,  each,  $1  to  11.50; 


wmm 


8 


PLACER  MINING. 


canned  fruits.  50  cents;  canned  meats,  75;  shovels,  $2.50; 
picks,  ijJo;  coal  oil,  per  gallon,  ♦! ;  overalls,  11.50;  under- 
wear, per  suit,  ijso  to  !i57.50;  shoes,  $5;  rubber  boots,  $10  to 
$15. 

All  miners  unite  in  saying  that  the  only  fear  for  the  com- 
ing winter  is  the  lack  of  supplies.  It  is  entirely  probable 
that  there  will  be  so  little  supplies  in  the  mining  region  this 
winter,  in  proportion  to  the  number  of  men  there,  that 
prices  will  run  much  higher,  and  that  great  suffering  and 
hardship  will  result  temporarily,  as  it  is  impossible  to  get  in 
fresh  supplies  after  the  winter  has  set  in,  and  provisions  are 
sold  only  for  cash.  But  by  next  summer  it  is  likely  that 
ample  means  will  be  taken  to  ward  off  any  such  danger 
thereafter,  and  prospectors  and  miners  can  enter  the  gold 
region  next  spring  without  the  fear  of  starvation  or  any 
greater  hardships  than  naturally  belong  to  a  frontier  region, 
even  in  such  a  comparatively  inaccessible  part  of  the  globe  as 
the  Yukon  Valley. 


, 


$2.50; 
under- 


s,  $10  to 


the  com- 
probable 
;gion  this 
ere,   that 
sring  and 
to  get  in 
isions  are 
kely  that 
h   danger 
•  the  gold 
»ii  or  any 
ier  region, 
ic  globe  as 


CHAPTER  II. 

HOW  TO  TAKE  CARE  OF  YOURSELF. 

MKUICIIVB  CHEST. 

We  would  advise  all  persons  who  contemplate  going  to 
the  Klondike  region  to  include  in  their  outfits  a  me(?:inc 
cheGt  composed  of  the  following  drugs,  which  should  be 
obtained  at  a  drug  st^re  for  about  %b\ 

ACETANELID      CoMWOUND      TABLETS     (gr.     V.), To     leSSCn 

fever,  to  relieve  pain  of  neuralgic  or  rheumatic  nature,  for 
toothache  or  headache.  Dose:  Two  tablets.  May  repeat 
in  4  or  5  hours.  If  'i  tablets  do  not  relieve,  3  or  4  will  not. 
Will  usually  relieve  pain  in  chest — pleurisy  pain. 

Morphine  (gr.  ^). — To  relieve  extreme  pain  of  any  sort; 
for  instance,  pain  of  broken  limb  or  injury  when  it  is  un- 
bearable, severe  colic  or  pain  in  bowels — in  fact,  unbearable 
pain  anywhere.  Dose:  One  tablet.  May  repeat  every  45 
minutes  until  pain  is  relieved  or  person  becomes  drowsy. 
When  it  makes  the  person  sleepy  or  drowsy,  stop  it. 

Dover's  Powder  Tablets  (gr.  v.). — To  produce  sweat, 
break  up  a  cold:  Take  two  at  bedtime  with  hot  drink  and 
wrap  up  warm.  To  check  a  bad  diarrhoea:  Take  one  every 
hour  until  diarrhoea  is  checked,  or  u  ^til  drowsy. 

Aloin  Strych.  Bellad.  and  Casc  ra  Pills. — Laxative. 
Two  or  three  at  bedtime  for  several  nights. 

Compound  Cathartic  Pills. — Physic,  stronger  than 
laxative.  One  or  two  at  bedtime.  A  good  plan  is  to  take 
these  one  night,  and  then  every  night  for  a  week  take  the 
laxative. 


10 


PLACER  MINING. 


>^ 


V!^>--    'V 


Bismuth  Pkpsin  and  Nux  Vomica. — For  indigestion  or 
dyspepsia.     One  or  two  before  each  meal. 

Bichloride  Tablets,  Compressed  Antiseptic  Tablets 
(Poison). — (These  are  poisonous  if  swallowed;  the  solution 
made  from  them  is  poisonous  if  swallowed).  One  dissolved 
in  1  pint  of  water  to  wash  out  any  wound  or  sore  that  has 
pus  or  matter  in  it.     Bathe  for  5  minutes. 

One  dissolved  in  1  quart  of  water  for  any  fresh  cut  or 
sore.     Bathe  for  5  minutes. 

After  washing  with  this  solution  a  sore,  wound,  or  any 
place  where  the  skin  is  broken,  cover  the  place  with  five  or 
six  layers  of  iodoform  gauze,  right  next  the  sore,  and  out- 
side this  plenty  of  cotton,  and  bandage  or  plaster  to  hold  it 
in  place. 

Wounds  or  sores  that  are  festering  (forming  pus  or  mat- 
ter) should  be  dressed  once  or  twice  daily,  according  to  the 
amount  of  discharge;  those  that  are  not  forming  matter 
or  pus  need  not  be  dressed  oftener  than  every  three  days. 

Carbolic  Salve. — A  good  dressing  for  burns,  chafes,  and 
small  cuts  and  frost-bites. 

The  Best  Liniment  for  Bruises. — Very  hot  water  con- 
stantly applied,  kept  very  hot,  for  3  or  4-  hours  at  a  time 

Citric  Acid. — Dissolve  in  water  to  make  lemonade  in 
case  of  scurvy.     A  pinch  to  glass  of  water. 

Lead  Acetate,  12-Grain  Opium  Powders. — For  lead 
and  opium  wash  or  liniment.  It  is  made  by  boiling  for  10 
minutes  1  pint  of  water  containing  1  heaping  teaspoonful  of 
lead  acetate  and  1  (12-grain)  opium  powder.  Apply  cot- 
ton saturated  with  this — hot,  and  change  it  as  often  as  it 
cools;  keep  it  hot  (paper  over  dressing  helps  this).  An 
excellent  dressing  or  liniment  for  painful  bruises  or  swell- 
ings, sprained  joint,  swollen  testicle,  painful  bruise  from  fall, 


PLACER   MINTNCt. 


11 


iigestion  or 

ic  Tablets 
the  solution 
le  dissolved 
re  that  has 

resh  cut  or 

md,  or  any 
with  five  or 
'e,  and  out- 
;r  to  hold  it 

>us  or  mat- 
ding  to  the 
ling  matter 
ree  days. 

chafes,  and 

water  con- 
t  a  time 

;monade   in 

— For  lead 
iling  for  10 
spoonful  of 
Apply  cot- 
often  as  it 
this).  An 
i  or  swell- 
;e  from  fall, 


kick,  or  blow.     It  is  not  good  for  extensive  raw  surface     as 
large  cut  or  burn. 

Monsell's  Salts  for  Hemorrhacies. — In  quantities  in 
accordance  with  the  person's  liability  to  attacks  of  the 
trouble. 

Two  drams  iodoform,  50  quinine  pills,  ^  dozen  assorted 
bandages,  1  pound  of  listerine  (for  cuts,  burns,  colds,  sore 
throat,  etc.),  1  small  roll  of  surgeon's  plaster,  and  some 
antiseptic  gauze  dressing  for  wounds. 

Surgeons'  Lint. — One  yard. 

Absorbent  Cotton. — Four  ounces. 

Mustard  Plasters. — One-half  dozen. 

Minnie AI.  SUGGESTIONS. 

For  many  constitutions,  the  bracing  effect  of  a  trip  to 
northern  latitudes  is  positively  beneficial.  Snow  and  ice 
are  not  in  themselves  by  any  means  injurious  to  the  physi- 
cal health  of  the  average  native  of  the  temperate  zone. 
They  may  be  disagreeable,  but  they  are  not  unhealthful, 
unless  the  soil  of  the  district  where  they  occur  is  of  a  nature 
to  retain  dampness.  Clays  are  bad  in  this  respect;  gravelly 
soils  are  safe. 

Scientific  records  have  well  established  that  the  average 
duration  of  human  life  is  greater  in  proportion  as  the  resi- 
dence is  advanced  from  the  equator  towards  the  poles. 
There  are  exceptions,  of  course,  but  only  such  as  prove  the 
general  rule.  There  is  more  risk  of  disease  by  far  in  a  voy- 
age to  India  or  Panama  than  in  one  to  Bering  Straits. 

Climate,  however,  is  not  the  only  thing  to  be  considered, 
when  there  is  question,  in  a  medical  sense,  of  the  risks  of  a 
distant  and  laborious  expedition  undertaken  by  a  multitude 
of  persons,  widely  differing,  as  all  multitudes  must,  in  the 
capacity  of  individuals  for  standing  hardship  and  privations. 


12 


PLACER   MINING. 


To  the  weak,  or  those  disposed  to  special  ailments,  condi- 
tions which  are  only  invigorating  to  the  man  in  average 
health  are  often  absolutely  fatal.  Weak  hearts  and  weak 
lungs  can  not  face  northern  blasts  or  temperatures  below 
zero.  Rheumatism  and  its  kindred  affections  are  equally 
ill  fitted  for  such  tests!  Nor  are  such  persons,  whether 
young  or  old,  as  have  been  long  accustomed  to  purely  sed- 
entary occupations,  or  of  lives  of  ease  and  luxury,  physi- 
cally fitted  for  the  hardships  of  the  Klondike.  In  the  form- 
er, the  vital  and  resistive  powers  have  never  been  developed ; 
in  the  latter  they  have  been  sapped.  Weak  eyes  would  be  se- 
verely tested  by  the  glare  of  a  snow-covered  land,  and  blind- 
ness is  but  one  of  the  dangers  to  be  feared  by  Arctic  explo'    rs. 

In  brief,  we  would  say  that  persons  subject  to  troubles 
of  the  heart,  throat,  or  lungs  should  stay  away  from  the 
Klondike.  Physical  exhaustion,  colds,  scurvy,  rheumatism, 
and  snow  blindness  are  the  chief  dangers  to  be  apprehended 
on  the  trip  from  a  medical  standpoint.  For  the  healthy  in 
other  respects  than  those  mentioned,  there  is  no  more 
danger  to  be  dreaded  than  in  any  ordinary  change  of  resi- 
dence. Alaska  is  not  in  itself  more  unhealthy  than  Illinois, 
Norway,  or  the  northern  part  of  Scotland.  Only  those 
that  are  able  to  bear  hardships  should  face  them,  but  as  far 
as  hygienic  conditions  go,  there  need  be  no  special  appre- 
hension on  the  score  of  Alaska.  In  conclusion,  those  of 
weak  lungs  and  weak  hearts,  and  sedentary  people  generally, 
are  advised  to  stay  at  home.  The  others  may  balance 
their  chances  without  need  of  doctor's  advice. 

CAMPING    ANI>   TRAVELIl^G. 

Establish  camp  rules,  especially  regarding  the  food.  Al- 
lot rations,  those  while  idle  to  be  less  than  when  at  work, 
and  also  pro  rata  during  heat  and  cold.  Pitch  the  tent  on 
top  of  the  snow,  pushing  the  poles  and  pegs  down  into  it. 


PLACER  MINING. 


13 


While  some  are  busily  engaged  in  building  a  fire  and  making 
a  bed,  let  the  best  cook  of  the  party  prepare  the  supper.  If 
you  have  no  stove,  build  a  camp-fire,  either  on  an  exposed 
point  of  rock  or  in  a  hole  dug  in  the  snow ;  if  you  have  a 
stove,  arrange  it  on  a  "  gridiron  "  inside  the  tent,  the  grid- 
iron consisting  of  three  poles  some  six  or  eight  feet  long, 
and  laid  on  the  snow,  on  which  the  stove  is  placed.  The 
heat  from  the  snow  will  soon  melt  a  hole  underneath,  but 
there  will  be  enough  firm  snow  under  the  ends  of  the  poles 
to  hold  it  up.  For  the  bed,  cut  hemlock  brush  and  lay  it 
on  the  snow  to  the  depth  of  a  foot  or  more,  and  cover  this 
with  a  large  square  ^i  canvas,  on  which  blankets  and  robes 
are  put.  When  finished,  it  forms  a  natural  spring  bed, 
which  will  offer  grateful  rest  after  hauling  a  sled  all  day. 
In  all  except  the  most  sheltered  locations,  the  tent  is  neces- 
sary for  comfort,  and  the  stove  gives  better  satisfaction 
than  the  cam.p-fire,  and  as  it  needs  but  little  wood,  is  easier 
to  cook  over,  and  does  not  poison  the  eyes  with  smoke. 
There  are  fewer  cases  of  snow  blindness  among  those  who 
use  stoves  than  among  those  who  crowd  around  a  smoking 
camp-fire  for  cooking  or  warmth.  Comfort  in  making  a 
trip  of  this  kind  will  depend,  in  a  great  measure,  upon  the 
conveniences  of  camping,  suitable  clothing,  and  light,  warm 
bedding.  Choose  your  bunk  as  far  from  the  tent  door  as 
possible,  and  keep  a  fire  hole  open  near  your  camp.  If  by 
any  chance  you  are  traveling  across  a  plain  (no  trail)  and  a 
fog  comes  up,  or  a  blinding  snowstorm,  either  of  which  will 
prevent  you  taking  your  bearings,  camp,  and  don't  move 
for  anything  until  all  is  clear  again.  Travel  as  much  on 
clear  ice  as  possible.  Don't  try  to  pull  sledges  over  snow, 
especially  if  soft  or  crusty.  White  snow  over  a  crevasse,  if 
hard,  is  safe;  yellow,  or  dirty  color,  never.  Press  the  trig- 
ger of  your  rifle.     Don't  pull  it.     Don't  catch  hold  of  the 


14 


PLACER   MINING. 


barrel  when  'M)  degrees  below  zero  is  registered.  Watch 
out  for  getting  snow  in  the  barrel.  If  you  do,  don't  shoot 
it  out.  Shoot  a  dog,  if  you  have  to,  behind  the  base  of  the 
skull;  a  horse,  between  the  ears,  ranging  downwards;  a 
deer  behind  the  left  shoulder  or  in  the  head.  If  you  can  not 
finish  your  rations  for  one  day,  don't  put  back  any  part,  but 
put  it  into  vour  personal  canvas  outfit  bag.  You  will  need 
it  later,  no  doubt.  Don't  waste  a  single  ounce  of  anything, 
even  if  you  don't  like  it.  Put  it  away,  and  it  will  come 
handy  when  you  will  like  it.  If  it  is  ever  necessary  to  cache 
a  load  of  provisions,  put  all  articles  next  to  the  ground 
which  will  be  most  affected  by  heat,  providing,  at  the  same 
time,  that  dampness  will  not  affect  their  food  properties  to 
any  great  extent.  After  piling  your  stuff,  load  it  over  care- 
fully with  heavy  rocks.  Take  your  compass-bearings,  and 
also  note  in  your  memoranda  some  landmarks  near  by,  and 
also  the  direction  in  which  they  lie  from  your  cache;  i.  e., 
make  your  cache,  if  possible,  come  between  exactly  north  and 
south  of  two  given  prominent  marks,  so  that  you  can  find  it. 
From  the  close  of  navigation  by  the  freezing  up  of  the 
lakes  and  rivers,  the  only  means  of  travel  is  by  dog  trains. 
The  dog  used  for  this  work  is  large,  gaunt,  long-haired,  and 
wolfish,  and  will  make  50  to  70  miles  a  day  with  a  load  that 
a  man  could  scarcely  haul  at  a  walk.  Six  dogs  make  a 
good  team,  though  a  man  and  a  dog  or  two  dogs  are  often 
seen.  The  native  packers  often  have  as  many  as  a  dozen  in 
a  pack.  The  regular  rule  of  the  Hudson  Bay  packers  is 
about  100  pounds  Lo  the  dog,  and  six  dogs  in  a  team.  The 
dogs  weigh  from  -lO  to  70  pounds.  They  are  well  trained 
and  do  not  get  sore  feet,  as  do  "  tenderfoot  "  dogs  taken  into 
the  country.  They  are  fed  on  cheap  bacon,  horse  meat, 
corn  meal,  or  anything  that  is  cheap  and  eatable.  Dogs 
taken  in  from   >  irmer  climates  are  apt  to  get  footsore,  and 


PLACER   MINING. 


15 


tire  out  and  be  of  no  use.  It  requires  an  expert  dog  hand- 
ler to  get  along  with  a  dog  team,  and  unless  conditions  are 
favorable,  it  is  hardly  worth  while  for  a  novice  to  make  the 
experiment. 

CARB  OF  FURS  AND  CLOTHING. 

Keep  your  furs  in  good  repair.  One  little  slit  may  cause 
you  untold  agony  during  a  march  in  a  heavy  storm. 
You  can  not  tell  when  such  will  be  the  case.  If  your  furs 
get  wet,  dry  them  in  a  medium  temperature.  Don't  hold 
them  near  a  fire.  Keep  your  sleeping  bag  clean.  If  it  be- 
comes inhabited,  freeze  the  inhabitants  out.  Keep  all  your 
draw-strings  on  clothing  in  good  repair.  Don't  forget  to 
use  your  goggles  when  the  sun  is  bright  on  snow.  A  fellow 
is  often  tempted  to  leave  them  off.  Don't  you  do  it.  A 
little  dry  grass  or  hay  in  the  inside  of  your  mitts,  next  your 
hands,  will  promote  great  heat,  especially  when  it  gets  damp 
from  the  moisture  of  your  hands.  After  the  mitts  are  re- 
moved from  the  hands,  remove  the  hay  from  the  mitts  and 
dry  it.  Failing  that,  throw  it  away.  Be  sure,  during  the 
winter,  to  watch  your  footgear  carefully.  Change  wet 
stockings  before  they  freeze,  or  you  may  lose  a  toe  or  foot. 

When  your  nose  is  bitterly  cold,  stuff  both  nostrils  with 
fur,  cotton,  wool,  or  anything  to  prevent  the  inside  of  your 
nose  and  throat  from  becoming  frostbitten.  The  cold  will 
cease.  Don't  eat  snow  or  ice.  Go  thirsty  until  you  can 
melt  it.  No  man  can  continuously  drag  more  than  his  own 
weight.  In  cases  of  extreme  cold  at  toes  and  heel,  wrap  a 
piece  of  fur  over  each  extremity.  Remember  success  fol- 
lows economy  and  persistency  on  an  expedition  like  ^'ours. 
And  take  warning — let  no  man  go  into  the  Yukon  who  can 
not  endure  hardship,  who  can  not  work  with  pick  and  shovel 
for  ten  hours,  who  can  not  carry  a  pack,  and  who  can  not 
take  a  full  outfit  with  him. 


•m^ 


CHAPTER   III. 

YUKON   MINERS'     OUTFIT. 

PRELIMINARY    SUGGBSTIONS. 

In  addition  to  the  medicine  chest  described  in  the  prece- 
ding chapter,  the  following  is  a  list  of  supplies  necessary  for 
one  man  for  one  year  in  the  Klondike  mining  region.  All 
authorities  are  agreed  that  those  who  go  with  less  will  be 
tempting  fate.  The  requirements  in  clothing,  food,  and 
miners'  outfitting  in  general  are  peculiar,  and  differ 
for  the  Yukon  district  from  all  other  mining  countries. 
The  extreme  long,  cold  winters,  short,  hot  summers,  and 
other  points  have  to  be  considered.  Outfits  should  be  pur- 
chased in  Tacoma,  or  Seattle,  or  other  Puget  Sound  ports. 
The  markets  there  offer  everything  mentioned  below,  in 
good  quality  and  at  reasonable  prices.  The  merchants 
understand  the  trade  and  will  select  and  put  up  an  outfit, 
large  or  small,  and  unless  a  man  knows  what  he  wants,  the 
best  thing  he  can  do  is  to  name  the  price  he  can  afford  to 
pay  and  leave  the  selection  to  the  merchant.  This  is  pos- 
sible, because  there  are  manufactured  the  flour,  bacon, 
evap  ited  fruits  and  vegetables,  blankets,  special  Alaska 
clotb  ,>^%  boots,  shoes,  sleds,  stoves,  tents,  boats,  and,  in 
fact,  nixie-tenths  of  the  staples  used  in  Alaska.  Large 
stocks  of  goods  are  also  carried  at  Juneau. 

PROVISIONS. 

One  hundred  and  fifty  pounds  entire  wheat  flour;  50 
pounds  corn  meal;  100  pounds  hardtack;  50  pounds  germea; 
25  pounds  rice;  75  pounds  Bayo  beans;  50  pounds  peeled  and 
evaporated  potatoes ;  10  pounds  evaporated  onions ;  50  pounds 


PLACER  MINING. 


17 


he  prece- 
essary  for 
fion.     All 
ss  will  be 
Food,   and 
nd    differ 
[countries, 
ners,  and 
d  be  pur- 
nd  ports, 
below,   in 
nerchants 
an  outfit, 
.^ants,  the 
afford  to 
is  is  pos- 
r,   bacon, 
il  Alaska 
,  and,   in 
Large 


flour;  50 

germea; 

eeled  and 

>0  pounds 


dried  soup  vegetables;  5  pounds  split  peas;  50  pounds  of 
stoned  and  dried  fruit  (apples,  peaches,  plums,  prunes, 
apricots,  and  raisins) ;  one  hundred  pounds  boneless  bacon ; 
50  pounds  chipped  beef;  5  pounds  compressed  soup  and  beef 
extract ;  30  pounds  canned  lard ;  30  pounds  canned  butter ; 
5  pounds  coffee  extract ;  20  pounds  compressed  tea ;  40  pounds 
loaf  sugar;  15  pounds  salt;  1  pound  white  pepper,  ground; 
7  pounds  baking  powder;  2  pounds  soda;  G  packages  yeast 
cakes;  1  pound  mustard;  ^  pound  ginger;  20  pounds  con- 
densed milk;  2  pounds  evaporated  vinegar  or  citric  acid; 
40  pounds  candles;  7  pounds  laundry  soap;  5  cakes  tar  toilet 
soap;  1  pound  of  matches.  In  making  purchases,  it  is  well 
to  observe  the  suggestion  that  the  very  best  articles  that 
can  be  purchased  are  none  too  good,  and  will  more  than 
repay  the  purchaser  in  the  long  run.  Germea  is  selected  in 
preference  to  oatmeal,  because  containing  nutriment  in  a 
more  condensed  form,  and  because  it  is  a  very  quickly  pre- 
pared dish.    Tea  is  far  preferable  in  the  winter  cold  than  coffee. 

SHBI.TER. 

One  10  ft.  X  12  ft.  wall  tent,  made  of  8-ounce  duck  or  heavy 
drill,  will  make  very  satisfactory  temporary  quarters  for  four 
men.  In  lieu  of  a  tent,  a  remarkably  ingenious  affair  called 
a  *'  Klondike  Home  "  has  been  devised  by  Arthur  F.  Howes, 
of  Seattle,  Wash.  These  "homes,"  which  cost  $200,  and 
weigh  about  130  pounds,  are  built  of  aluminum.  They  are 
intended  for  two  people,  but,  it  is  claimed,  will  house  four  and 
even  six.  It  is  said  that  the  homes  can  be  put  up  in  an 
hour  or  less,  and  taken  down  and  put  in  bundles  in  the  same 
time.  The  frame  is  made  of  steel  tubing,  "telescoping" 
into  the  posts,  which  in  turn  are  packed  into  the  stove 
funnel,  and  this  is  put  into  a  canvas  cover  for  protection  in 
transit.  The  material  which  forms  the  walls  and  roof  is 
aluminum.     The  stove  is  of  sheet  steel,  packed  in  a  canvas 


1 1 


I 


I 


I  I 


18 


PLACER  MINING. 


bag  to  allow  easy  handling,  and  there  are  no  sharp  corners 
to  cut  into  the  carrier.  It  has  two  six-inch  rounds  on  the 
top,  and  an  oven  of  sufficient  size,  around  which  all  the  heat 
must  pass.  A  copper-bottom  boiler  and  a  tea  kettle  are 
packed  inside  the  fire-box,  and  there  is  room  in  this  and  in 
the  oven  to  pack  food  and  cooking  utensils.  The  roof  and 
walls  of  the  "  home"  are  packed  into  the  bed,  a  sort  of  flat 
hammock,  which  when  in  use  as  a  bed  supports  two  people 
three  feet  above  the  floor.  The  frame  is  held  together  by 
connections  resembling  pipe  fittings.  This  is  covered  with 
sheet  aluminum,  so  lapped  and  fitted  together  that  it  is 
water  and  weather  proof.  It  is  guyed  from  the  upper 
corners,  like  a  tent.  Hooks  are  provided  on  which  to  hang 
clothing,  etc.  A  shelf  along  the  side  serves  as  a  table. 
The  bed  is  folded  and  used  as  a  bench  seat  during  the  day. 
The  windows  are  of  transparent  celluloid  and  are  practically 
indestructible.  The  "homes"  are  0  ft.  0  in.  long  X  5  ft. 
G  in.  wide  X  G  ft.  6  in.  high. 

CLOTHING. 

Those  who  have  never  wintered  in  the  Arctic  regions  have 
no  conception  of  the  intense  cold  it  is  necessary  to  protect 
against.  This  lack  of  realization  is  doubtless  responsible 
for  the  absolute  insufficiency  and  uselessness  of  what  is 
offered  as  a  Klondike  clothing  outfit  by  some  clothiers.  It 
is  winter  that  one  must  think  of  in  preparing,  not  sum- 
mer. For  clothing,  then,  take  the  following:  3  suits  heavy 
woolen  underwear;  0  pairs  heavy  double-foot   wool  socks; 

1  pair  double-foot  German  woolen  socks;  1  pair  Cana- 
dian laragans  or  shoe-packs;  3  pairs  seamless  felt  ankle 
moccasins;  2  pairs  heavy  snag-proof,  leather  soled,  nail- 
protected,   hip  rubber  boots,   for  summer   work  in  water; 

2  pairs  specially  made  prospector's  shoes;  2  heavy  flannel 
shirts ;  2  suits  corduroy ;  2  pairs  pantaloons  (one  of  stout, 


PLACER   MINING. 


10 


moderately  heavy  cloth  for  summer  wear,  the  other  of  a 
lighter,  close-woven  cloth,  which  should  be  quilted  with 
cotton  batting  a  half-inch  thick  in  the  seat  and  over  the 
thighs  and  knees,  for  winter  use) ;  2  pairs  stout  riveted  over- 
alls, one  felt-lined;  1  pair  heavy  Giant  Buckle  suspenders; 
2  vests;  1  cloth  sack  coat;  2  heavy  overall  jumpers;  1  coat 
of  wool  cloth;  1  coat  made  of  skin  dressed  with  the  hair  on. 
The  last  named  should  be  turned  inside.  For  material, 
short  hair,  coarse  wool,  or  sheepskin  is  excellent,  and  should 
not  be  expensive.  For  those  who  desire  it,  this  coat  can  be 
made  of  deerskin  with  the  hair  outside  and  lining  of  squirrel 
or  cat  skins;  1  wool  neck-scarf;  1  scarf  or  belt  to  draw  coat 
tight  around  waist  in  cold  weather ;  2  pairs  boots  made  of 
deerskin,  hair  outside,  '  reenforced  leather  sole,  sewed  or 
pegged  on,  not  nailed.  The  tops  should  extend  above  the 
knee  and  be  laced  tight  there.  They  should  be  large 
enough  to  take  in  the  foot  covered  with  two  pairs  of  socks, 
or  with  one  pair  and  felt  moccasins,  and  to  take  in  the  legs 
of  the  quilted  pantaloons.  The  top  of  the  boot  need  not  be 
lined  with  fur.  One  heavy  rubber- lined  coat  or  mackintosh ; 
2  heavy  woolen  sweaters:  1  suit  oil  clothing;  2  fur  caps, 
with  fur-lined  ear-laps;  1  wide-brimmed  felt  hat;  3  pairs 
heavy  wool  caribou  mitts;  I  pair  unlined  leather  work 
gloves;  1  pair  snow-shoes;  1  pair  snow-glasses;  G  towels; 
2  dozen  best  quality  bandana  handkerchiefs;  10  yards 
mosquito  netting,  or  1  bee  hat;  1  pair  heaviest  woolen 
blankets;  1  fur  robe  for  sled  travel  and  sleeping  outdoors. 
This  should  be  4  ft.  X  G  ft. ,  with  the  outside  covered  with  heavy 
woolen  cloth  and  arranged  like  a  bag  by  being  made  from  a 
piece  G  f t.  X  8  ft. ,  doubled  and  sewed  at  each  edge,  except  one. 
The  end  which  is  left  open  should  be  sewed  about  G  inches 
toward  the  c^^nter  from  each  side,  and  puckering  strings 
arranged  to  draw  the  hole  up  close;  1  sheet  light-weight 


Ih 


20 


PLACER  MINING. 


I 


ill 


k 


f  i 


rubber  waterproof  cloth  12  feet  square;  several  rubber  bags 
or  packing  cases  should  be  purchased  in  which  to  carry  per- 
ishable goods;  compass,  pocket  comb,  mirror,  toothbrush, 
toilet  paper,  etc.  In  addition,  there  should  be  a  small  lot  of 
repair  materials — needles,  thread,  buttons,  buckskin,  shoe- 
maker's awl  and  wax,  boot-sole  nails,  rubber  cement,  rubber 
patching,  etc. 

HARDWARE,  I2TC. 

One  sheet-iron  stove,  folding,  if  possible,  and  pipe,  the 
latter  in  flat  sheets,  with  seam  edge  crimped  for  joining,  or 
in  three  lengths,  telescoping;  1  fry  pan,  with  folding  handle; 

2  pots,  8-quart  and  G-quart,  with  cover  and  bail;  1  kettle; 
1  galvanized  water  bucket;  1  small  riveted  teapot;  Ji  pans 
for  bread  baking,  sizes  to  nest  together;  3  soup-plates,  blue 
or  granite  ware;  2  cups,  blue  or  granite  ware,  sizes  to  nest; 
1  can  opener;  table-knife;  fork;  tea  and  soup  spoons;  1 
large  mixing  spoon;  1  bread  or  butcher  knife.  To  save 
weight  and  for  ease  in  cleaning,  aluminum  ware  is  very 
much  to  be  preferred  for  the  cooking  utensils.  A  combined 
rifle  and  shotgun  and  ammunition ;  1  large  two-blade  hunt- 
ing knife  ;  fishing  tackle  and  hooks ;  1  oO-ft.  tape ;  1  gold  pan ; 
1  gold  scales;  2  3^-pound  picks,  with  large  eye;  3  handles 
for  same;  1  drifting  pick  and  handle;  1  long  handle  miner's 
shovel  (spring  point) ;  1  short  handle  miner's  shovel  (spring 
point);  1  scythe  stone;  1  pack  strap;  1  American  ax;  1 
hatchet,  hammer  head,  claw;  1  blacksmith  hammer;  0  8-inch 
files  and  2  taper  files;  1  5^-ft.  whipsaw,  for  getting  out 
lumber ;  1  26-in.  Disston  cross-cut  handsaw ;  1  rip  handsaw ; 

3  chisels,  including  1  calking  chisel;  1  brace  and  bits;  1 
folding  draw-knife;  1  saw  set  and  file;  1  square;  1  jack- 
plane;  20  pounds  spikes;  2  pairs  8-inch  strap-butts;  200  feet 
^-inch  manilla  waterproof  rope ;  8  pounds  of  pitch ;  5  pounds 
of  oakum;  nails,  five  pounds  each  of  0,  8,  10,  and  12  penny; 


PLACER  MINING. 


U 


bags 
per- 
"ush, 
ot  of 
ihoe- 
ibber 


plumb,  level,  chalk  lines.  In  addition,  each  man  in  the 
party  will  require  a  Yukon  sleigh,  a  skeleton  affair  made 
from  the  best  hard  wood  and  shod  with  ground  brass  run- 
ners. It  is  7  feet  3  inches  long  and  10  inches  wide,  just  the 
proper  width  to  track  behind  snowshoes,  and  its  cost  is  from 
17  to  $14.  Brass  is  preferable  to  iron  for  the  shoes,  as  it 
slides  more  easily  through  the  fine,  dry  snow  one  finds  in 
the  early  spring. 

The  list  looks  long  and  the  bulk  very  considerable,  yet 
there  is  not  an  unnecessary  article  in  it.  If,  however,  sev- 
eral men  propose  to  travel  together  and  work  in  partnership, 
only  a  small  portion  of  the  kitchen  outfit  and  tools  require 
duplication.  Some  game  and  fish  may  be  taken,  so  that  the 
use  of  the  full  quantity  of  subsistence  suggested  may  not  be 
required ;  but  it  is  far  safer  to  provide  the  full  amount  than 
to  risk  the  success  of  getting  game. 

The  total  weight  of  the  outfit  is  about  1,500  pounds,  and 
the  cost  about  $350.  After  purchasing  his  outfit  and  paying 
for  his  ticket  to  Dyea  or  Skagway,  the  would-be  gold  miner 
should  have  from  1200  to  $500  to  pay  incidental  expenses 
during  his  first  year  in  the  Yukon  Valley.  One  thousand 
dollars  would  be  a  far  safer  figure. 

DUTIES  OIV  OUTFITS. 

Many  different  reports  having  gone  out  concerning  the 
amount  of  exemption  to  miners  which  has  been  granted  by 
the  Canadian  Government,  it  may  be  well  to  state  that  in- 
structions have  been  issued  by  the  Canadian  Government 
exempting  from  all  duty  miners'  blankets,  personal  clothing 
in  use,  and  broken  packages  of  provisions  being  used,  also 
cooking  utensils  in  use,  and  100  pounds  of  food  for  the  jour- 
ney, charging  ordinary  customs  duty  on  everything  in  ex- 
cess of  this  amount.  The  duty  on  a  $350  outfit  will  amount 
to  from  $50  to  $70. 


1,s 

''I 

i  it 

•in 


i 


t 


CHAPTER  IV. 

ROUTES  TO  THE  YUKON  GOLD   FIELDS. 

RKCIilVT  UI2VI:L0PMKNT». 

Gold,  and  the  search  for  gold,  ofttimes  make  a  wonder- 
ful change  in  the  face  of  nature.  Before  the  rich  discov- 
eries on  the  Klondike,  Alaska  was  a  land  of  slow-going  old 
settlements,  typical  of  all  that  was  leisurely  and  ancient. 
A  few  steamers  starting  from  Tacoma,  the  head  of  naviga- 
tion on  Puget  Sound,  and  stopping  at  Seattle,  Victoria, 
Vancouver,  and  other  Puget  Sound  ports,  sufficed  to  take 
care  of  the  trade  in  supplies,  furs,  fish,  and  occasional  pros- 
pecting parties,  and  made  up  the  life  of  the  community  at 
the  extreme  southerly  edge  and  only  inhabited  portion  of 
that  vast  territory. 

With  the  spreading  of  the  news  of  the  disct)very  of  gold 
on  the  Klondike  River  began  to  come  the  crowdii  of  eager 
gold  seekers,  by  hundreds  and  then  by  thousands,  f  roui  every 
quarter  of  the  world,  and  at  the  principal  Puget  Sound 
ports,  instead  of  the  comparatively  uneventful  sailing  of  a 
steamer  about  once  a  week  to  care  for  the  traffic  in  supplies, 
ores,  fish,  furs,  and  the  few  travelers  back  and  forth,  with 
the  added  interest  in  the  summer  months  of  the  tourist  ex 
cursions,  now  the  docks  present  a  scene  of  bustle  and  excite- 
ment. The  crowds  of  gold  seekers,  with  their  outfits,  their 
pack  ponies,  or  dogs,  the  friends  who  go  down  to  bid  them 
good-by,  and  the  rush  and  hurry  in  getting  aboard  the  ves- 
sel's freight,  make  quite  a  different  picture  from  the  sailing 
of  an  Alaskan  steamer  a  year  ago.  Along  the  streets  of  the 
cities  are  displayed  "  Klondike"  outfits,  Alaska  clothing, 
sleds,  sleeping  bags,  miners'  tools,  condensed  foods  for  the 


PLACER   MININCi. 


33 


Arctic  rejjfions,  j^okl  pans,  rifles  and  revolvers,  dust  belts, 
and  the  many  other  articles  that  ^o  to  make  up  a  prospec- 
tor's outfit,  all  looked  upon  with  interest  by  the  passing 
crowds  in  the  streets.  In  the  shops,  workmen  are  busy  build- 
ing Yukon  sleds,  camp  stoves,  and  other  equipment  for  the 
prospector,  and  the  stamp  of  '*  Klondike"  is  seen  upon  every 
line  of  industry.  Parties  are  flocking  into  the  cities  by  every 
train,  to  await  the  time  to  start  for  the  north  in  February 
or  March,  and  groups  of  them  may  be  seen  talking  over  the 
various  fields,  the  prospects  and  chances,  a'nd  the  expe- 
rienced miner  giving  the  tenderfoot  points  on  outdoor  life. 
At  Juneau,  many  of  those  who  failed  to  get  over  the  pass  in 
the  fall  are  waiting  for  the  spring,  and  at  Dyea,  Skagway, 
Fort  Wrangel,  and  Sitka,  others  are  awaiting  the  lengthen- 
ing days  of  February  to  be  off  to  the  Klondike,  the  Copper 
River,  the  Pelly,  the  Tanana,  the  MacMillan,  the  Munook, 
and  the  dozen  other  fields  where  rich  finds  are  reported, 
and  the  first  of  March  will  see  a  rush  of  gold  hunters  into 
the  country  such  as  has  seldom  been  seen  in  any  former 
gold-mining  excitement  in  the  history  of  the  world. 

THE  FIRST  OBJECTIVE  POINT. 

As  nearly  all  Alaskan  steamers  sail  from  Puget  Sound 
ports  (Tacoma,  Seattle,  Victoria,  Vancouver,  etc.),  one  of 
these  cities  will  be  the  first  objective  point.  If  the  would- 
be  prospector  is  a  citizen  of  the  United  States,  he  will 
probably  go  to  either  Tacoma  or  Seattle,  which  are  near 
neighbors,  both  in  the  State  of  Washington ;  if  he  be  a 
Canadian  citizen,  he  will  naturally  go  to  Victoria  or  Van- 
couver. 

Rates  from  New  York  City  to  Puget  Sound  points  vary 
from  ^02.75,  the  lowest  second-class  rate,  to  $81.25  for  first- 
class.  Meals  and  berths  are  not  included  in  these  figures. 
Berths  from  New  York  to  Puget  Sound  points  are  $9.     The 


m  I 


n 


24 


PLACER  MINING. 


Union  Pacific,  Northern  Pacific,  Great  Northern,  and  Cana- 
dian i'acific  lines  are  the  principal  competing  roads.  All  of 
these  lines  have  offices  in  New  York.  The  cheapest  way  of 
getting  from  New  York  to  the  Pacific  Coast  is  by  steamer 
from  New  York  to  New  Orleans,  thence  by  the  Southern 
Pacific  to  San  Francisco.  The  cost  of  a  ticket  by  this  route, 
including  steerage  berth  and  meals  on  steamer  and  second- 
class  passage  by  rail,  is  $54.50, 

From  Puget  Sound  points  there  are  at  present  nine  known 
routes  to  the  Yukon  gold  fields. 

As  the  Chilkoot  Pass  route  is  the  most  important  and  the 
most  generally  traveled  of  these  routes,  we  will  describe  that 
first,  reserving  the  description  of  the  other  routes  for  a  sub- 
sequent chapter. 

THE  CHILKOOT  PASS  ROUTE. 

The  shortest  route  to  the  basin  of  the  Yukon,  and  the  one 
which  has  been  taken  by  nearly  nine-tenths  of  all  the  gold 
seekers  who  have  thus  far  gone  to  the  interior,  is  that  via 
the  Chilkoot  Pass  (see  map).  The  details  of  this  route 
are  as  follows: 

From  Puget  Sound  ports  to  Juneau,  900  miles. — This 
portion  of  the  journey  can  be  taken  at  any  time  of  the  year. 
There  are  usually  several  steamers  each  way  every  week 
i)etween  Puget  Sound  ports  and  Juneau.  The  trip  usually 
takes  five  or  six  days.  Rates  at  hotels  and  restaurants  in 
Juneau  are  about  the  same  as  in  any  city.  The  fare  from 
Puget  Sound  ports  to  Juneau,  including  berth  and  meals,  is, 
first-class,  $32;  steerage,  $17.  One  hundred  and  fifty  pounds 
of  baggage  are  allowed  each  passenger,  and  excess  baggage 
is  carried  at  $9  per  ton.  In  the  summer  season,  passage  can 
be  obtained  direct  from  Puget  Sound  ports  to  Dyea,  with- 
out changing  at  Juneau. 

From  Juneau  to  Dyea  (or  Taiya),  101  miles. — Ordinarily, 


PLACER   MINING. 


U 


passage  over  this  portion  of  the  route  can  be  obtained 
within  a  day  or  so  after  arrival  in  Juneau;  but  as  the  small 
boats  run  irregularly,  quick  connections  can  not  always  be 
depended  upon.  The  fare  from  Juneau  to  Dyea  is  $8  to  $10, 
and  if  the  weather  is  fair  and  the  load  light,  the  trip  is  made 
in  twelve  hours.  The  landing  process  at  Dyea  is  long  and 
tedious.  There  is  no  deep  water  near  shore.  The  tide  at 
the  head  of  the  long  and  narrow  estuary  rises  and  falls 
twenty-three  feet,  and  the  beach  is  long  and  flat.  Hence, 
everything  must  be  taken  ashore  in  lighters  and  surf-boats, 
which  make  long  trips  with  each  load.  Horses  are  dumped 
into  the  water  to  wade  ashore.  The  responsibility  of  the 
steamship  company  ends  at  the  anchorage,  but  it  uses  its 
boats  and  crews  to  help  get  passengers  and  freight  ashore. 
As  soon  as  possible  after  landing,  the  freight  is  sorted  and 
carried  out  of  reach  of  tidewater.  Most  miners  camp  near 
by  in  the  edge  of  the  woods,  perhaps  taking  one  or  two 
meals  at  a  restaurant ;  others  find  both  board  and  lodging 
until  they  are  ready  to  push  on.  Now,  for  the  first  time, 
the  miner  begins  to  size  up  his  belongings,  and  begins  to 
realize  that  a  proper  outfit  for  a  trip  of  this  kind  is  the 
result  of  experience,  and  the  longer  he  has  been  in  this  coun- 
try and  the  more  thoroughly  he  knows  it,  just  so  much  more 
care  is  used  in  the  selection  and  packing  of  his  outfit.  A 
careful  and  thorough  examination  should  be  made  to  see 
that  nothing  has  been  lost  or  forgotten.  Towns  of  five 
thousand  inhabitants  have  grown  up  be  th  at  Dyea  rid  at 
Skagway,  five  miles  below. 


vj 


OVKR    THIC  CHILKOOT   PASS    THI2   IVKW   W  VY. 

The  pioblemof  how  to  rapidly  and  cheaply  transport  pas- 
sengers and  freight  over  the  Chilkoot  Pass  to  the  headwaters 
of  the  Yukon  has  been  solved  in  an  unexpected  but  entirely 


I   > 


M 


i- 


20 


PLACER   MINING. 


practical  manner.  Heretofore,  getting  over  this  pass  has 
been  the  most  dangerous  and  difficult  part  of  the  Yukon 
journey.  Men  have  had  to  either  carry  their  heavy  outfits 
a  distance  of  twenty-five  miles  over  the  i)ass,  involving  lug- 
ging them  up  steep  hills  with  an  aggregate  elevation  of 
3,500  feet,  or  pay  large  sums  to  the  Indians  for  taking  them 
over.  This  has  required  a  great  deal  of  hard  work  when 
the  miner's  time  was  most  valuable,  or  necessitated  the  ex- 
penditure of  such  large  sums  in  getting  over  that  few 
men  could  afford  it.  Men  who  have  done  their  own 
packing  have  been  tired*  and  worn  out  on  caching  the 
lakes,  and  some  have  given  up  on  reaching  Lake  Linde- 
man. 

This  situation  will  be  quite  changed  by  the  C^ilkoot  Rail- 
road and  Transport  Company,  which  expects  to  have  its 
transportation  system  in  operation  by  February,  1898,  in 
time  for  the  early  spring  rush  over  the  pass.  Miners  and 
prospectors  can  then  disembark  from  the  steamers  at  Dyea, 
and  in  twenty-four  hours  find  themselves  with  their  outfits 
at  Lake  Lindeman.  Boats,  sleds,  and  dogs  can  be  taken 
over  as  readily  as  flour  and  beans,  so  that  on  reaching  Lake 
Lindeman  the  miner  has  only  to  pack  his  sled,  launch  his 
boat,  or  harness  his  dog  team,  and  be  ready  to  start  down 
the  lakes.  The  great  majority  of  miners  will  have  neither 
dogs  nor  boats,  but  on  reaching  Lake  Lindeman  will  proceed 
to  haul  their  sleds  over  the  ice  to  the  foot  of  Lake  Lebarge, 
where  they  will  build  boats  and  be  ready  to  start  down  the 
river  as  soon  as  the  ice  ]:)reaks. 

The  Chilkoot  Railroad  and  Transport  Company  is  now 
(December,  18'.>7)  comi)leting  a  railroad  cigiit  mile,  ii' 
length  from  Dyea  to  the  mouth  of  Dyea  Canyon.  Betwee'i 
the  mouth  oi  the  c  myon  and  Crater  Lake,  on  the  other  side 
of    the   summit,    two   aerial  tramways,    each  four  miles   in 


PLACER   MINING. 


'Z7 


,.- 


length,  will  be  operated.  The  contract  for  these  aerial  tram- 
ways has  been  let  to  the  Trenton  (New  Jersey)  Iron  Works, 
which  has  built  over  a  hundred  of  them  now  in  successful 
operation  in  the  United  States,  Mexico,  Central  and  vSouth 
America.  The  longest  one  in  the  w^r'd,  twelve  miles  in 
]'"n[;*h,  was  recently  built  by  the  same  company  in  the 
if'vji..        Hayti. 

One  tramway  on  Chilkoot  Pass  will  reach  through  Uyea 
Canyon  to  Sheep  Camp,  with  a  rise  of  1,000  feet  in  four 
miles.  The  other  will  extend  from  Sheep  Camp  to  Crater 
Lake,  with  a  rise  of  2,500  feet  to  the  summit  of  the  pass,  and 
a  decline  of  500  feet  between  the  summit  and  Crater  Lake 
Over  V)  miles  of  the  best  steel-wire  cable  will  be  used  in  the 
construction  of  these  tramways,  which  will  be  supported  by 
solid  iron  supports  placed  every  100  feet.  The  power  station, 
to  develop  50  horsepower,  will  be  located  at  vSheep  Camp. 
This  power  v ']]  operate  the  tramways  rapidly,  giving  them 
a  daily  ca"  .city  n  120  tons,  or  outfits  for  200  men.  Special 
carnage;:  ?,'  i  ■;  provided  for  carrying  passengers.  The 
Trenton  Iron  'orks  is  under  contract  to  have  this  system 
of  tramways  :i  o')  nation  by  January  15,  and  beginning  then 
the  Chilkoot  Railroad  and  Transport  C<Jinpany  wi'l  be  able 
to  transport  200  mhiers  and  their  outfits  ov^r  the  pass  daily. 
From  Crater  Lake  to  Lake  Lindeman  Landing  the  trail  runs 
down  hill,  with  an  easy  grade,  making  it  possible  for  the 
miners  l  V)ad  thei'*  sleds  and  slide  down  over  the  crusted 
snow  auci  I.': 

A  telepiv>,  le  line  connecting  Dyea  and  Lake  Lindeman  is 
being  constructed,  ensuring  the  operation  of  the  transpor- 
tation system  to  the  best  advantage.  It  will  also  enable 
men  crossing  the  pass  to  communicate  with  either  end  or 
intermediate  stations. 


I 


i' 


^:f 


28 


PLACER   MINING. 


OVER   THE   CHII^KOUT   I»ASS- THE   OLO   WAY. 

From  Dyea  to  the  Sheep  Camp,  Vi  miles. — Two  days  are 
generally  consumed  in  making  this  part  of  the  journey, 
although  it  is  possible  to  make  '"  one.  The  first  five 
miles  of  the  journey,  from  Dyea  to  mouth  of  the  can- 

yon, can  be  made  by  canoe  during  pai  ts  of  April  and  Sep- 
tember and  all  of  May,  June,  July,  and  August,  or  on  the 
ice  at  other  seasons  of  the  year.  Dyea  Canyon  is  about  two 
miles  long,  and  can  be  traversed  on  the  ice  in  winter  by 
bridging  the  dangerous  holes  with  poles.  In  summer  it  is 
necessary  to  go  around  the  canyon  by  a  trail  which  has  been 
built  on  the  east  side.  The  balance  of  the  journey  is  easy. 
There  is  now  a  considerable  settlement  at  the  Sheep  Camp. 

From  the  Sheep  Camp  to  Lake  Lindeman,  15  miles. — 
This  portion  of  the  route,  containing  the  Chilkoot  Pass,  can 
be  traversed  in  summer  by  any  able-bodied  man  or  vroman 
with  very  little  difficulty  or  danger,  but  the  conditions  in 
winter,  spring,  or  fall  are  such  that  great  caution  must  be 
observed.  This  is  due  to  the  terrible  severity  of  the  Arctic 
storms,  which  come  up  suddenly  and  rage  with  fury  through 
this  narrow  defile  at  certain  seasons  of  the  year.  During 
the  month  of  October,  1807,  nor.  less  than  20  persons  are 
reported  to  have  perished  in  such  storms.  None  except 
those  who  are  familiar  with  the  pass  should  ever  attempt  it 
alone.  Four  or  five  men  should  compose  each  party  starting 
for  the  gold  fields,  as  one  tent,  stove,  set  of  tools,  etc.,  will 
suffice,  and  the  hardships  can  in  many  respects  be  lightened 
by  cooperation  on  the  part  of  all.  The  Sheep  Camp  is 
near  the  summit,  and  no  wood  for  a  fire  can  be  gotten  until 
timber  is  reached  on  the  other  side  of  the  pass,  about  three 
or  four  miles  from  the  head  of  Lake  Lindeman.  For  this 
reason,  the  Sheep  Camp  is  not  usually  left  until  all  of  the 
outiit  has  been  placed  on  the  summit.     When  the  weather  is 


PLACER   MINING. 


20 


are 


favorable,  everything  except  what  is  necessary  for  camp  is 
pushed  a  mile  and  a  half  to  Stone  House,  a  clump  of  big 
rocks,  and  then  to  what  is  called  the  Second  Bench,  From 
this  point,  for  about  000  feet,  the  trail  is  very  difficult,  but 
Indians  may  be  hired  to  carry  packages  up  it  for  about  !l?5 
per  hundred  pounds.  At  most  seasons  of  the  year,  horses 
can  be  used  for  the  purpose,  if  sharply  shod  and  accustomed 
to  mountain  trails.  A  good  horse  will  carry  150  to  200 
pounds  over  the  summit,  while  for  the  average  man  50  pounds 
is  quite  sufficient.  The  descent  for  the  first  half  mile  is 
steep,  then  a  gradual  slope  to  Lake  Lindeman,  some  ten 
miles  away.  But  there  is  but  little  time  for  resting  and 
none  for  dreaming,  as  the  edge  of  the  timber  where  the 
camp  must  be  made  is  seven  miles  from  the  summit.  Taking 
the  camping  outfit  and  sufficient  provisions  for  four  or  five 
days,  the  sleigh  is  loaded,  the  rest  of  the  outfit  is  packed  up, 
or  buried  in  the  snow,  shovels  being  stuck  up  to  mark  the 
spot.  This  precaution  is  necessary,  for  storms  come  sud- 
denly and  rage  with  fury  along  these  mountain  crests.  The 
first  half  mile  or  more  is  made  in  quick  time;  then,  over  six 
or  seven  feet  of  snow,  the  prospector  drags  his  sleigh  to 
where  there  is  wood  for  his  camp-fire.  At  times  this  is  no 
easy  task,  especially  if  the  weather  be  stormy,  for  the  winds 
blow  the  new-fallen  snow  about  so  as  to  completely  cover  the 
track  made  by  che  man  but  little  ahead;  at  other  times, 
during  fine  weather,  and  with  a  hard  crust  on  the  snow,  it 
is  only  a  pleasant  run  from  the  pass  down  to  the  first  camp 
in  the  Yukon  Basin. 

DOWN  THE  LAKES  TO  THE  HOOTALI\QUA. 

From  Lake  Lindeman  to  Lake  Bennet,  5  miles. — The 
trip  through  Lake  Lindeman  is  short,  the  lake  being  only 
^^  miles  long.  Boats  may  be  hired  to  carry  goods  across. 
It  is  necessary  to  portage  from  Lake  Lindeman   to  Lake 


II 


,'(! 

vM 


'n 


lil 


II 


30 


PLACER  MINING. 


Bennet,  the  portage,  however,  being  less  than  a  mile. 
The  best  time  to  reach  Lake  Bennet  is  early  in  the 
spring,  say  about  April  15th,  before  the  ice  begins  to  melt. 
Persons  who  time  their  trip  so  as  to  reach  there  about  that 
date  can  make  the  trip  across  the  lakes  on  the  ice,  and  need 
not  build  rafts  until  they  reach  open  water  on  the  Yukon  or 
Lewis  River.  Those  who  reach  Lake  Bennet  after  the  ice 
has  melted  will  need  to  build  or  purchase  a  boat  or  scow  at 
this  point  before  proceeding  further.  It  is  necessary  that 
one  of  the  pi  rty  should  have  a  knowledge  of  boat  building, 
for  it  is  absoh;tely  essential  that  the  craft  shall  be  stanch 
and  substantial.  The  double-ended  batteau  is  the  pattern 
ordinarily  preferred,  though  the  plain  avow  of  good  depth  is 
more  easily  built  and  can  be  depended  upon.  The  boats  are 
usua.^y  *.-;2  to  24  feet  long  and  4^  to  5  feet  wide,  and,  if  pur- 
chased at  the  local  sawmill,  cost  about  ^(10. 

From  Lake  Bennet  to  Lake  Takou  (or  Tagish),  20  miles. 
— Lake  Bennet  is  'iC)  miles  long.  Upon  this  lake  the  British 
boundary  is  crossed.  Between  Lake  Bennet  and  Lake  Takou 
is  the  Caribou  Crossing,  which  is  about  3  miles  long  and 
quite  difficult. 

From  Lake  Takou  to  Miles  Canyon,  (!(j  miles. — Seventeen 
miles  of  this  distance  is  spent  in  crossing  Lake  Takou  (or 
Tagish,  or  Takish,  as  it  is  variously  spelled),  5  miles  in  de- 
scending the  Six-Mile  River,  19  miles  in  crossing  Mud  Lake 
and  Marsh  Lake,  and  the  balance  in  descending  the  Fifty- 
Mile  River.  About  half  way  down  the  Fifty-Mile  River  is 
Miles- Canyon.  Before  reaching  the  canyon,  a  high  cut  bank 
of  sand  on  the  right-hand  side  will  give  warning  that  it  is  close 
at  hand.  Good  rivermen  have  run  the  canyon  safely,  even 
with  loaded  rafts,  but  it  is  much  safer  to  make  a  landing  on 
the  right  side  and  portage  the  outfit  around  the  canyon,  three- 
quarters  of  a  mile,  and  run  the  raft  through  empty.     The 


PLACER  MINING. 


31 


sameness  of  the  scenery  on  approachinji;  the  canyon  is  so 
marked  that  many  parties  have  gotten  into  the  canyon 
before  they  were  aware  of  it. 

From  Miles  Canyon  to  Lake  Lebarge,  ol  miles. — From 
Miles  Canyon  to  White  Horse  Rapids,  2  miles,  the  boat  or 
raft  can  be  towed  with  safety  down  the  stream,  when  a  large 
sign  will  be  seen  on  the  left  bank,  with  the  words  "Look 


■  M 


M 
I 


MILES    CANYON. 


Out  "  in  letters  a  foot  square.  The  White  Horse  is  the  most 
dangerous  portion  of  the  trip.  It  is  a  box  canyon  about  a 
hundred  yards  long  and  fifty  in  width,  a  chute  through 
which  the  water  of  the  river,  which  is  (100  feet  wide  just 
above,  rushes  with  maddening  force.  But  few  have  ever 
attempted  to  run  these  rapids,   and  fourteen  of  them  are 


p 


32 


PLACER   MINING. 


ii 


known  to  have  been  drowned.  It  is  much  safer  to  portage 
the  outfit  around  these  rapids  and  send  the  boat  through 
empty.  Even  then  the  boat  is  Hkely  to  be  lost  or  damaged. 
Every  man's  life  should  be  worth  more  to  him  than  all  the 
gold  in  the  Klondike  region.  The  balance  of  the  trip  from 
White  Horse  Rapids  to  Lake  Lebarge  is  via  the  Fifty-Mile 
River.     It  may  be  necessary,  below  the  White  Horse  Rapids, 


WHITE  HORSE  RAFIDS, 


to  build  a  nev7  boat  before  the  journey  can  be  continued. 
It  is  probable  that  ere  long  a  railroad  Avill  be  constructed 
around  Miles  Canyon  and  White  Horse  Rapids,  to  facilitate 
the  transportation  of  freight  and  passengers  at  this  point. 
At  present  there  is  a  portage  road  on  the  west  side,  and 
rollways  in  some  places  on  which  to  shove  the  boats  over. 


PLACER   MINING. 


•>•> 
•>•> 


From  Lake  Lt'har^e  to  HootaliiKiiui  Rivc;r,  (II  miles.— 
There  are  no  rapids  or  other  (huij^ers  in  this  part  of  the 
journey.  In  the  middle  of  Lake  Lebarge  (which  is  151  miles 
in  length)  there  is  an  island  where  parties  bound  for  the 
gold  fields  usually  camp.  Ice  on  Lake  Lebarge  is  usually 
good  until  about  the  last  of  April.  From  Lake  Lebarge  to 
the  Hootalinqua,  the  course  is  down  Thirty-Mile  River. 

UOWIV   THIS    YUKON     VALLKY. 

From  Hootalinqua  River  to  McCormick  Trading  Post, 
111  miles. — This  section  of  the  journey  is  always  made  in 
summer,  as  the  river  never  freezes  over  smooth.  The  ice 
freezes  in  great  rough  masses,  which  makes  traveling  well- 
nigh  impossible.  If  a  person  should  have  the  misfortune  to  get 
frozen  in,  the  best  thing  he  can  do  is  to  go  into  winter  quarters 
and  commence  prospecting  at  once  on  the  little  streams  in 
his  immediate  neighborhood ;  the  entire  region  is  known  to 
be  gold-bearing,  and  a  lucky  strike  is  almost  as  likely  to  be 
made  in  one  place  as  another.  From  Hootalinqua  River  to 
the  Big  Salmon  River  is  27  miles;  from  the  Big  Salmon 
River  to  the  Little  Salmon  River  is  01}  miles,  and  from  there 
to  McCormick  Trading  Post  is  21  miles.  The  Hootalinqua 
River,  after  its  junction  with  the  Big  Salmon  River,  is 
known  as  Lewis  River. 

From  McCormick  Trading  Post  to  Fort  Selkirk,  79  miles, 
— Twenty  miles  below  McCormick  Trading  Post  are  the  Five 
Finger  Rapids.  Here  four  large  buttes  divide  the  water  in 
five  passages;  the  right-hand  passage  is  the  only  one  which 
is  practicable,  and,  though  the  water  is  swift,  it  is  safe  if  the 
boat  be  kept  in  the  center.  A  few  moments  of  strong 
pulling  and  careful  management,  and  the  boat  is  rapidly  ap- 
proaching Rink  Rapids,  three  miles  below.  Here  again  the 
right-hand  side  ensures  safety,   and  having  gone  through 


m 


k 


:)4 


PLACER  MINTNa 


them  the  last  danp^erous  water  is  passed.  Next  comes  the 
Pelly  River,  upon  which,  and  especially  upon  its  chief 
branch,  the  MacMillan,  valuable,  discoveries  were  made 
late  in  1807.  The  junction  of  the  Pelly  and  Lewis  forms 
the  Yukon  proper.  Fort  Selkirk,  or  Harper's  (as  it  is 
sometimes  called),  is  located  at  this  point. 

From  Fort  Selkirk  to  Stewart  River,  lOO  miles. — Ninety-six 
miles  below  Fort  Selkirk  the  White  River  is  passed,  1()  miles 
beyond  which  is  the  Stewart  River,  where  some  of  the  latest 
discoveries  have  been  reported.  There  is  little  doubt  but  that 
the  newcomer  stands  as  good  or  better  opportunity  in  pros- 
pecting along  the  creeks  entering  this  river  as  anywhere  in 
the  Yukon  district.  All  of  the  streams  thus  far  referred  to 
enter  the  Yukon  from  the  right,  with  the  exception  of  the 
White  River.  Below  the  Stewart  River,  the  various  mining 
districts  are  reached  in  the  following  order:  Sixty-Mile  Creek, 
Klondike  River,  Forty-Mile  Creek,  and  Birch  Creek.  Gold 
has  also  been  discovered  on  Porcupine  River,  Munook  Creek, 
Tanana  River,  and  Koyukuk  River.  An  examination  of 
the  map  will  show  that  these  districts  cover  practically  the 
whole  known  interior  of  Alaska,  and  large  deposits  have 
been  found  on  the  Kenai  peninsula  and  other  places  along 
the  southern  coast.  Just  at  present  the  Copper  River 
district  (see  map)  is  attracting  much  attention. 


il 


CHAPTFR   V. 


WOUTHS    TO    THK  YUKON   CJOI.I)   rii:iJ>S. 

{Coiitiiiiii(L) 

THIi    AM.-WATKW    WOl'Tli. 

One  of  the  best,  because  safest,  most  natural,  most  com- 
fortable, and  cheapest  routes  to  the  gold  fields  is  the  all- 
water  route  (see  map).  From  Puget  Sound  the  ste:iuiers 
sail  out  through  the  Straits  of  San  Juan  del  Fuc\'i  north- 
westerly across  the  Pacific  ( )i"ean  "^,(100  miles  to  Dutch 
Harbor,  on  Unalaska  Island,  which  is  the  first  stop;  thence 
750  miles  north  through  Bering  Sea  and  Norton  Sound  to  St. 
Michael  Island,  (10  miles  above  the  mouth  of  the  Yukon, 
where  transfer  is  made  to  the  smaller  craft  which  ply  uji  and 
down  the  Yukon.  The  Yidcon  is  navigable  the  entire  dis- 
tance from  its  mouth  to  Fort  Selkirk,  in  Canadian  territory, 
2,300  miles,  without  a  break,  and  all  of  the  gold  fields  thus  far 
discovered  are  reached  direct  by  the  river  steamers.  The 
fare  from  Puget  Sound  to  the  gold  fields,  meals  and  berth 
included,  is  only  $200  first-class.  Competition  may  reduce 
this  to  1150,  or  even  llOO,  for  ordinary  second-class  accommo- 
dations. Steerage  passengers  must  furnish  their  own  bed- 
ding. As  all  the  streams  in  the  immediate  neighborhf)od  of 
the  Klondike  have  already  been  taken  up  (see  map  for  par- 
ticulars), persons  of  limited  means  are  advised  to  wait  until 
spring  and  go  by  this  route.  In  doing  so,  they  will  pass  both 
Circle  City  and  Forty-Mile,  near  which  some  of  the  best 
placer  mines  on  the  American  continent  have  been  discovered, 
and  were  being  worked  at  great  profit  before  they  were 
abandoned  in  the  great  rush  for  the  Klondike.   These  districts 


m 


w1 


86 


PLAC'ER   MTNTNCt. 


f  i 


'  I 


I 


are  lot-aLcd  entirely  \vithi)i  American  I'-rrilory.  Millions  of 
dollars'  worth  of  jvold  will  undoubtedly  be  taken  from  these 
at  present  abandoned  mininj>'  districts  within  the  next  few 
years.  Navigation  on  the  Yukon  closes  in  September  and 
opens  in  June,  As  the  head  waters  are  much  farther  south 
lhan  the  mouth,  the  break-up  begins  in  the  upper  river  and 
tributaries,  and  the  ice,  which  freezes  A  feet  thick  in  winter, 
packs  and  crushes  its  way  towards  the  deltas.  Navigation 
between  Circle  City  and  Daws  )n  is  possible  sometimes  a 
month  before  steamers  can  cntei  the  mouth  of  the  Yukon 
from  St.  Michael's  on  the  upward  trip. 

One  great  disadvantage  of  going  by  the  all-water  route  is 
that  the  best  part  of  the  season  is  gone  before  one  can  reach 
the  mining  fields. 

The  boats  which  ply  up  and  down  the  Yukon  calculate  on 
making  only  two  round  trips  during  the  season,  and  some- 
times make  but  one.  Two  hundred  passengers  who  left 
Pugcit  Sound  as  early  as  July  22,  181)7,  for  Dawson,  via  St. 
Michael's,  were  stranded  on  the  Yukon  flats,  five  hundred 
miles  below  Dawson,  and  had  to  turn  back.  The  lightest 
draft  boats  carrying  provisions  could  not  get  up  the  river 
in  August  and  September  because  of  the  low  water.  Several 
thousand  men  who  started  in  July  and  August  via  St. 
Michael's  were  stranded  for  the  winter  on  that  cold  and  deso- 
late island  or  a  short  distance  up  the  Yukon.  Several  hundred, 
however,  were  fortunate  enough  to  reach  Rampart  City,  at 
the  mouth  of  Munook  Creek,  halfway  up  the  Yukon,  and  as 
rich  strikes  have  been  made  in  that  neighborhood  they  are 
perhaps  as  Avell  off  as  though  they  had  reached  Dawson, 
The  gold  here  is  heavy  and  coarse,  running  1^1  S  and 
$19  to  the  ounce.  The  mines  begin  twenty-four  miles  up 
Munook  Creek  from  Rampart  City.  In  September,  Munook 
claims  were  selling  for  Id,  500  each.     Gold  was  plentiful,  and 


PLACER   :^IININ(i. 


87 


lions  of 
n  these 
cxt  few 
ber  and 
r  south 
ver  and 
winter, 
ngation 
times  a 
Yukon 

route  is 
n  reach 

Lilate  on 
d  some- 
v'ho  left 
,  via  St. 
tiundred 
lightest 
he  river 
Several 
via  vSt. 
id  deso- 
undred, 
City,  at 
I,  and  as 
:hey  are 
Dawson. 
i^LS  and 
niles  up 
Munook 
ful,  and 


it  was  believed  that  winter  work  would  prove  them  very  rich. 
Ciold  has  also  been  found  on  the  Tanana  River,  a  short  dis- 
tance below  the  Munook.  The  Tanana  is  a  large  river  with 
many  tributaries,  offering  a  large  district  in  which  to 
prospect.  It  is  !MM)  miles  from  St.  ^lichael's  to  the 
mouth  of  the  Tanana,  SO  miles  from  there  to  the  Munook, 
450  miles  from  Munook  to  Circle  City,  •i40  miles  from 
Circle  City  to  Forty-Mile,  and  52  miles  from  Forty-Mile  to 
Dawso 

Th(  '  vessel  sailing  in  the  spring  from  Puget  Sound  for 
St.  Michael's  leaves  in  April  or  May.  The  steamers  start  in 
May  and  June,  as  the  Yukon  River  does  not  ()i)en  at  its 
mouth  until  the  latter  month. 

Several  parties  have  formed  to  take  flat-bottom  river  boats 
to  the  Yukon  in  the  knock  down,  and  set  them  up  there.  A 
flat-bottom  river  steamer  can  be  built  for  !i«l,000  to  carry  a 
party  of  ten  with  their  provisions  and  supplies.  Boats  to 
carry  parties  of  100  to  200  cost  $8,000  to  $14,000. 

THI-:   WHITK  PASS  HOUTIC. 

The  White  Pass  route  starts  from  Skagway  City,  which  is 
five  miles  below  Dyea.  From  the  harbor,  where  there  is  a 
long  wharf  to  deep  water,  the  trail  follows  the  Skagway  River 
to  its  head,  which  is  near  the  summit  of  the  pass,  a  distance 
of  10  miles.  The  first  four  miles  are  in  the  bed  of  the  river, 
and  the  ascent  is  gradual.  At  four  miles  the  canyon  is 
reached,  and  here  the  route  becomes  more  difficult.  For 
seven  miles  the  trail  works  its  way  along  the  mountain  side, 
rising  steadily  for  almost  the  entire  distance.  This  is  the 
only  hard  part  of  the  route.  The  next  three  miles  is  a  gentle 
rise,  and  they  carry  the  trail  to  the  summit,  an  elevation  of 
2,000  feet  above  the  sea-level.  This  is  1,000  feet  lower  than 
the  summitof  the  Chilkoot  Pass,  but,  because  of  the  impassable 


i\ 


<l!| 


m 


;J8 


PLACER   MINING. 


n 


•'' 


condition  of  the  trail,  has  been  quite  disappointing  to  those 
who  have  tried  to  go  over  it.  Surveys  are  being  made  for  a 
railroad  across  White  Pass,  which  will  undoubtedly  be  built 
next  year. 

Tin:  COPPBR    UIVKR  RDUTE. 

The  Cop])er  River  route  is  by  steamer  from  Juneau  to 
Valdes  Inlet  on  Prince  William  Sound.  From  Valdes  the 
passage  to  the  Copper  River  is  in  a  northeasterly  direction 
over  a  dead  glacier,  which  may  be  readily  traversed  during 
most  of  the  year.  The  Indians  living  on  the  upper  wtters 
of  the  Copper  River  come  out  by  that  route  on  their  semi- 
annual trading  trips.  The  trail  strikes  Copper  River  about 
100  miles  north  of  its  mouth,  thereby  avoiding  the  rapids, 
canyons,  and  glaciers  that  have  prevented  the  successful 
passage  of  the  river.  It  then  proceeds  up  the  Chittyna,  the 
main  branch  of  the  Copper  River,  crosses  the  divide  nt 
Scoloi  Pass,  and  goes  down  the  White  River  to  the  Yukon, 
Some  claim  that  the  building  of  a  railroad  to  the  Yukon  is 
entirely  feasible  by  the  Valdes  route  from  Prince  William 
Sound,  and  surveys  are  to  l)e  made  in  1898. 

One  advantage  of  going  by  the  Copper  Rive:  route  is  that 
very  good  diggings  are  reported  to  have  been  found  along 
the  stream,  some  prospectors  going  no  far  as  to  state  that 
the  placers  of  Copper  River  are  as  rich  if  not  richer  than 
Klondike.  Some  of  the  Copper  River  Indians,  however,  are 
savage  and  ^vell  armed.  They  resent  the  coming  of  whites 
to  take  their  gold.  Precjuently  white  miners  are  driven  out 
of  the  country  by  the  Indians,  some  of  whom,  particularly 
the  Stik  tribe,  are  mixed  with  Russian  Finns  and  are  vicious 
and  aggressive.  They  are  good  shots,  ai.d,  besi'ies,  frc^m 
their  places  of  vantage  in  the  canyons  t^ey  can  resist  a 
large  body  of  white  men.  Several  parties  are  «»iganizing  to 
explore  the  Coppei"  River  in  the  spring  of  181)8.     The  mem- 


Pt 


PLACER   :\ITNING. 


39 


bers  of  these  parties  areull  well  armed.  One  of  their  nirnber 
saw,  while  i)assing-  throii^^h  the  Copper  River  country, 
squaws  with  bracelets  of  virgin  gold  which  had  been  oeaten 
out  of  nuggets. 

THli    DALTOIV    WODTIi. 

The  Dalton  trail  leaves  tid  ;water  at  Chilkat,  a  landing 
to  the  west  and  north  of  Dyea,  and  runs  over  a  comparatively 
easy  pass  to  tlie  north  of  Chilkoot  Pass,  continuing  to  the 
westward  of  the  lake  country  and  striking  the  Yukon  above 
Fort  Selkirk,  a  distance  from  Chilkat  of  abouf.  400  miles. 
This  is  the  usual  route  for  driving  in  beef  cattle,  as  the 
pasturage.  May  to  September,  is  good  all  the  way  over  to 
the  river.  In  taking  in  beef  cattle  over  the  Dalton  trail, 
some  prospectors  b^vc  placed  light  packs  on  the  cattle  and 
succeeded  in  that  way  in  getting  their  supplies  in.  Beef 
cattle  costing  820  at  Tacoma  have  been  sold  at  Dawson  City 
at  from  $700  to  1^900,  where  beef  was  worth  75c.  to  !|1  per 
pound. 

It  is  believed  by  many  that  this  will  ultimately  be  a  popu- 
lar route  to  the  mines.  It  will  be  made  passable  for  wtigons 
as  early  as  practicable  in  the  summer  of  189S,  and  it  has  even 
been  proposed  to  construct  a  railf'  >ad  along  this  entire  route. 
Gold  has  been  discovered  on  this  route,  about  iUidway 
between  Chilkat  Pass  and  Fort  Selkirk. 

THK  CHILKAT  ROUTI2. 

This  "oute  is  up  the  Chilkat  Inlet,  which  enters  the 
Lynn  Canal  a  few  miles  below  Dyea,  thence  up  the  Chilkat 
River  and  over  Chilkat  Pass  (which  is  said  to  be  abcuit  1,000 
feet  lower  than  the  Chilkoot  Pass)  and  down  the  Tahkeena 
River  to  its  junction  with  the  Fifty-Mile  River  below  White 
Horse.  Rapids.  As  the  Chilkat  Pass  is  25  miles  longer  than 
the  Chilkoot  l^ass.  it  is  not  much  used  at  the  present  time. 


*'s 


m 

i 


■M 


40 


PLACER  MINING. 


!l   ■ 


THK   STICKEEN    ROUTE. 

Goods  and  passengers  intended  for  this  route  have  to  be 
transshipped  from  ocean-going  steamers  to  river  steamers  at 
Fort  Wrangel.  The  Stickeen,  under  favorable  circum- 
stances, i.-»  navigable  for  stern-wheel  steamers  of  light  draft 
and  good  power  to  Telegraph  Creek,  140  miles  from  its 
mouth.  The  river  usually  opens  for  navigation  between 
April  20th  and  May  1st.  On  the  lowlands  there  is  good 
grazing  for  horses  and  cattle  from  April  20th  to  about 
December  1st.  The  distance  from  the  Stickeen  at  Tele- 
graph Creek  to  Teslin  Lake,  the  source  of  the  Hootalinqua 
River,  is  about  120  miles.  The  portage  is  through  a  partly 
open  and  partly  wooded  country,  somewhat  rolling  but  not 
rough.  A  pack  trail  runs  from  Telegraph  Creek  to  the  head 
of  the  lake.  At  the  head  of  Teslin  Lake  there  is  plenty  of 
timber  for  whipsawing  lumber  to  build  boats  for  the  voyage 
down  the  river  to  Dawson,  or  lumber  may  be  purchased  at 
the  small  sawmill  now  in  operation  there.  From  the 
Hootalinqua,  the  balance  of  ths  journey  to  the  gold  fields  is 
by  the  same  route  as  that  described  under  the  head  of 
Chilkoot  Pass  route.  From  the  head  of  Teslin  Lake  to  the 
Klondike  is  584  miles. 

THE    OVERLAND    ROUTE. 

This  route  starts  from  Ashcroft,  B.  C.  The  distance  to 
Stuart  Lake  can  be  traveled  with  ease  by  pack  train.  No 
feed  need  be  carried  for  horses,  as  there  is  an  abundance  of 
grass  the  entire  distance.  From  Fort  James  (on  Stuart 
Lake),  the  route  is  to  Telegraph  Creek,  over  prairie  country. 
From  this  point  the  balance  of  the  journey  is  the  same  as 
via  the  Stickeen  route.  If  desired,  the  journey  from  Tele- 
graph Creek  to  the  Yukon  may  be  made  by  the  somewhat 
lengthy  route  via  Dease  Lake,  Frances  River,  and  Pelly 
River,  which  is  said  to  be  very  easy. 


PLACER  MINING. 


41 


THE  TAKOU  ROUTE. 

This  route  is  from  the  head  cf  T^kou  Inlet,  a  little  south  of 
Juneau,  overland  by  the  valley  of  the  Takou  River  to  Lake 
Teslin.  from  which  the  balance  of  the  journey  is  th^  same  as 
via  the  Stickeen  route.  The  gold  fields  can  also  be  reached 
by  the  way  of  Edmonton,  on  the  Canadian  Pacific  Railway, 
thence  via  the  McKenzie,  Frances,  and  Pelly  Rivers. 


i4ll 


i  I 


■i|  J 


;.    .ill 


CHAPTER  VI. 

MINING  REGULATIONS  OF  ALASKA. 

V 

The  misunderstanding  and  contentions  regarding  the 
.^aws  that  are  applicable  to  Alaska,  so  far  as  the  lands  and 
claims  are  concerned,  have  been  set  at  rest  by  a  statement 
made  by  Commissioner  Hermann,  of  the  General  Land  Office. 
Many  inquiries  on  this  question  have  come  to  the  Interior 
Department,  and  numerous  applications  have  been  made  for 
copies  of  the  Public  Land  Laws,  which,  however,  do  not  apply 
to  Alaska.  All  this  is  due  to  the  gold  boom.  The  General 
Land  Office  officials  have  taken  much  interest  in  the  reports 
that  come  from  the  gold  belt,  and  have  investigated  the 
laws  that  govern  them. 

Commissioner  Hermann  says  these  laws  are  applicable : 

VARIOUS   LAWS. 

L   The  Mineral  Land  Laws  of  the  United  States. 

2.  Town  site  laws  which  provide  for  the  incorporation  of 
town  sites  and  acquirement  of  title  thereto  from  the  United 
States  Government  to  the  town  site  trustees.  ^ 

3,  The  law  providing  for  trade  and  manufactures,  giving 
each  qualified  person  100  acres  of  land  in  a  square  and  com- 
pact form. 

The  coal  land  regulations  are  distinct  from  the  mineral 
regulations  or  laws,  and  the  jurisdiction  of  neither  coal  laws 
nor  public  land  laws  extends  to  Alaska,  the  Territory  being 
expressly  excluded  by  the  laws  themselves  from  their  oper- 
ation. The  Act  approved  May  17,  1884,  providing  for  civil 
government  of  Alaska,  has  this  language  as  to  mines  and 
mining  privileges: 


PLACER   MINING. 


43 


MINIIVO   CL.AIMS. 

"The  laws  of  tVie  United  States  relating  to  mining  claims 
and  rights  incidental  thereto  shall,  on  and  after  the  passage 
of  this  act,  be  in  full  force  and  effect  in  said  district  of 
Alaska,  subject  to  such  regulations  as  may  be  made  by  the 
Secretary  of  the  Interior  and  approved  by  the  President,  and 
parties  who  have  located  mines  or  mining  privileges  thereon 
und'^r  the  United  States  laws  applicable  to  the  public 
domain,  or  have  occupied  or  improved  or  exercised  acts  of 
ownership  over  such  claims,  shall  not  be  disturbed  therein, 
but  shall  be  allowed  to  perfect  title  by  payments  provided 
for." 

There  is  still  more  general  authority.  The  Act  of  July  -I, 
18()(;,  says: 

"All  valuable  mineral  deposits  in  lands  belonging  to  the 
United  States,  both  surveyed  and  unsurveyed,  are  hereby 
declared  to  be  free  and  open  to  exploration  and  purchase, 
and  lands  in  which  these  are  found  to  occupation  and  pur- 
chase by  citizens  of  the  United  States,  and  by  those  who 
have  declared  an  intention  to  become  such  u.''der  the  rules 
prescribed  by  law,  and  according  to  local  customs  or  rules 
of  miners  in  the  several  mining  districts,  so  far  as  the  same 
are  applicable  and  not  inconsistent  with  *;he  laws  of  the 
United  States." 

The  patenting  of  mineral  lands  in  Alaska  is  not  a  new 
thing,  for  that  work  has  been  going  on  as  the  cases  have 
come  in  from  time  to  time  since  1884. 


m 


AI.,ASKA   MIXIIVG   CODE. 

The  United  States  mining  code  applies  in  the  Territory  of 
Alaska,  but  miners'  law,  which  agrees  with  the  Federal  law, 
has  prevailed,  pending  the  appointment  of  the  proper 
officials  to  carry  out  the  full  provisions  of  the  statutes.    The 


44 


PLACER  MINING. 


1 


ti 


general  law,  covering  quartz  and  placer  claims,  condensed 
into  brief  space,  is  as  follows: 

QUARTZ    DEPOSITS. 

Quartz  Land. — Mining  claims  upon  ledges  or  lodes  of 
precious  metals  can  be  taken  up  along  the  vein  to  the  length 
of  1,500  feet  and  300  feet  each  side  of  the  middle  of  the  vein. 
To  secure  patent,  $500  worth  of  work  must  be  performed 
and  $5  an  acre  paid  for  the  land — twenty  acres.  Six  months' 
failure  to  do  woik  forfeits  the  claim. 

PLACER    CLAIMS. 

Placer  Land. — Claims  usually  called  ''placers,"  including 
all  forms  of  deposit,  excepting  veins  of  quartz  or  other 
rock  in  place,  are  subject  to  entry  and  patent.  No  single 
individual  can  locate  more  than  twenty  acres  of  placer 
land,  and  no  location  can  be  made  by  any  company  com- 
posed of  no  less  than  eight  bona-fide  locators,  exceeding  160 
acres.  The  price  per  acre  of  placer  claims  is  12.50.  Where 
placers  contain  veins  or  lodes,  the  cost  per  acre  is  $5. 

It  is  important  that  locators  accurately  mark  and  describe 
their  claims.  In  marking,  the  locator  may  do  so  in  any 
direction  that  will  not  interfere  with  the  rights  or  claims 
existing  prior  to  his  discovery.  Litigation,  expense,  and 
delay  may  be  avoided  by  being  particular  in  the  matter  of 
boundaries.     The  essentials  are : 

First — That  the  corners  should  be  marked  on  the  ground 
by  stakes  in  mounds  of  earth  or  rock,  or  by  marked  trees 
or  other  natural  objects. 

Second — The  notice  of  location  should  describe  these 
corners  so  that  they  can  be  identified  on  the  ground  by  the 
description,  and,  in  addition,  the  direction  and  distance  of 
one  of  the  corners  from  a  Government  corner  (if  surveyed) 
or  well-known  object,  such  as  a  junction  of  roads,  trails,  or 


PLACER  MINING. 


45 


ravines,  a  bridge,  building  of  any  kind,  or  natural  feature, 
as  rock,  etc. 

PENALTIES. 

It  is  a  felony  to  sell  a  salted  mine ;  to  fraudulently  ciiange 
samples  or  assays  with  intent  to  defraud;  to  make  or  give 
false  assay  or  sample  with  intent  to  defraud;  to  rob  vem, 
sluice-box,  quartz  mill,  etc.,  or  trespassing  upon  mmm^ 
claim  with  intent  to  commit  a  felony. 

It  is  a  misdemeanor  to  deface,  tear  down,  or  destroy  a 
post,  monument,  boundary  mark,  or  location  notice ;  or  with- 
out authority  to  take  water  from  any  ditch,  pipe,  reservoir, 
etc.,  or  to  unlawfully  interfere  with  the  same. 


CHAPTER   VII. 

MINING  REGULATIONS  OF  N.  W.  CANADA. 

The  following  is  a  summary  of  the  principal  regulations 
made  by  the  Canadian  Government  regarding  placer  mining 
along  the  Yukon  River  and  its  tributaries  in  the  Northwest 
Territories,  corrected  to  August  21,  181)7: 

In  these  regulations,  "bar  diggings"  mean  parts  of  a 
river  which  are  flooded  at  high  water  but  are  not  covered  at 
low  water.  Mines  on  benches  are  called  '*  bench  diggings." 
"Dry  diggings"  mean  mines  over  which  a  river  never  ex- 
tends. "Claim  "  means  the  right  to  a  diggings  during  the 
time  for  which  the  grant  is  made.  A  claim  does  not  include 
any  special  surface  rights.  "  Legal  post  "  means  a  stake  or 
stump  standing  four  feet  above  the  ground,  and  squared  on 
four  sides  for  at  least  one  foot  from  the  top.  Both  sides  so 
squared  must  measure  at  least  four  inches  across  the  face. 
"Close  season"  means  the  period  during  which  placer 
mining  is  generally  suspended,  and  is  fixed  by  the  Gold 
Commissioner  in  whose  district  the  claim  is  situated. 
"  Locality  "  means  the  territory  along  a  river  (tributary  of 
the  Yukon  River)  and  its  affluents.  "  Mineral '  includes  all 
minerals  other  than  coal.  Claims  are  measured  horizontally, 
irrespective  of  the  surface  of  the  ground.  Miners  must  be 
over  18  years  of  age. 

BAR,  DRV,  AND   BENCH    DIGGINGS. 

Bar  diggings  are  strips  of  land  100  feet  wide  at  high- 
water  mark,  and  thence  extending  into  the  river  to  its  lowest 
water-level.  Their  sides  are  formed  by  two  parallel  lines  run 
as  nearly  as  possible  at  right  angles  to  the  stream,  and  must 


I 


K 


PLACER    MINING. 


47 


»g 


be  marked  by  tour  legal  posts,  one  at  each  end  of  the  claim  at 
or  about  high-water  mark,  also  one  at  each  end  of  the  cki'm 
at  or  about  the  edge  of  the  water.  One  of  the  posts  at  higl- 
water  mark  must  be  legibly  marked  with  the  name  of  the 
miner  and  the  date  upon  which  the  claim  was  staked.  Dry 
diggings  and  bench  diggings  are  100  feet  square  and  are 
staked  in  the  same  way. 

CRCKK   AIVD  RIVCR  CLAIMS. 

Creek  and  riv^er  claims  are  100  feet  long  (discoverers  of 
new  mines  or  of  new  auriferous  strata,  in  a  locality  where 
the  claims  are  abandoned,  are  entitled  to  claims  of  double 
this  length)  measured  in  the  direction  of  the  general  course 
of  the  stream,  extending  in  width  from  base  to  base  of  the 
hill  or  bench  on  each  side,  but  when  the  hills  or  benches  are 
less  than  100  feet  apart,  the  claim  may  be  100  feet  in  depth. 
The  sides  consist  of  two  parallel  lines  run  as  nearly  as  pos- 
sible at  right  angles  to  the  stream,  and  must  be  marked  with 
legal  posts  at  the  edge  of  the  water  and  at  the  rear  bound- 
aries of  the  claim.  One  of  the  posts  at  the  stream  must  be 
marked  as  above. 

Entry  is  granted  only  for  alternate  claims,  the  other 
alternate  claims  being  reserved  for  the  Government,  to  be 
disposed  of  at  public  auction.  The  penalty  for  trespassing 
upon  a  claim  reserved  for  the  Government  is  the  forfeiture 
of  all  mining  rights. 

UCCOKUIIVG   CLAIMS. 

A  claim  must  be  staked  out  as  soon  as  located,  and  must 
then  be  recorded  with  the  Gold  Commissioner  in  whose  dis- 
trict it  is  situated,  within  three  days,  if  it  is  within  ten  miles 
of  the  Commissioner's  office.  One  extra  day  is  allowed  for 
making  such  record  for  every  additional  ten  miles.  An 
entry  fee  of  $15  is  charged  the  first  year,  and  an  annual  fee 


:|   I 


3   I 


m 


48 


PLACER  MINING. 


'i 


t 


of  $15  for  each  of  the  following  years.  In  addition,  a 
royalty  of  ten  per  cent,  on  the  gold  mined  is  collected,  and 
in  case  the  amount  taken  from  any  single  claim  exceeds  five 
hundred  dollars  per  week,  there  is  collected  upon  the  excess 
a  royalty  of  twenty  per  cent.  Default  or  fraud  in  payment 
of  the  royalty  is  punished  by  cancelation  of  the  claim. 

After  the  recording  of  a  claim,  the  removal  of  any  post 
for  the  purpose  of  changing  the  boundaries  of  the  claim  acts 
as  a  forfeiture  of  the  claim. 

The  entry  of  every  holder  of  a  grant  must  be  renewed 
and  his  receipt  relinquished  and  replaced  every  year,  the 
entry  fee  being  paid  each  time. 

No  miner  can  receive  a  grant  of  more  than  one  mining 
claim  in  the  same  locality,  but  the  same  miner  may  hold 
any  number  of  claims  by  purchase,  and  any  number  of 
miners  may  unite  to  work  their  claims  in  common  upon  such 
terms  as  they  may  arrange,  provided  such  agreement  be 
registered  with  the  Gold  Commissioner  and  a  fee  of  $5  paid 
for  each  registration. 

Any  miner  may  sell,  mortgage,  or  dispose  of  his  claim, 
provided  such  disposal  be  registered  with,  and  a  fee  of  ^'i 
paid  to,  the  Gold  Commissioner.  The  Gold  Commissioner 
may  grant  to  holders  such  right  of  entry  upon  adjacent 
claims  as  may  be  necessary  for  the  working  of  their  claims, 
upon  such  terms  as  may  to  him  seem  reasonable.  Every 
miner  is  entitled  to  the  use  of  a  share  of  the  water  naturally 
flowing  through  or  past  his  claim. 

A  claim  is  deemed  to  be  abandoned  and  open  to  occu- 
pation and  entry  by  any  person  when  it  has  remained  r*^.- 
worked  on  working  days  for  the  space  of  seventy-two  hours, 
imless  sickness  or  other  reasonable  cause  be  shown  to  the 
satisfaction  of  the  Gold  Commissioner,  or  unless  the  grantee 
is  absent  on  leave  given  by  the  Commissioner. 


I 


CHAPTER  Vlll. 


THE  ORIGm  OF  GOLD  PLACERS. 

For  those  fragmentary  deposits  carrying  gold  known  as 
"placers,"  we  are  indebted  primarily  to  the  great  glaciers  of 
the  Ice  Age,  and  after  them,  to  the  rivers  of  both  past  and 
present,  and,  in  a  more  local  and  restricted  sense,  to  the 
waves  of  the  sea. 

We  might  imagine  what  the  mountains  of  the  world  would 
have  been  without  these  active  agents  of  erosion.  We  may 
conceive  of  them  as  vast,  smooth,  rolling  billows  of  strata, 
occasionally  broken  by  stupendous  cliffs,  the  result  of  pro- 
found faulting.  As  mineral  veins  are  mainly  due  to  the 
action  of  hot  springs,  geysers,  fumaroles,  etc.,  we  might 
have  noticed  here  and  there  along  such  lines  of  fault-fissure, 
mounds  of  tufa,  of  calcareous  or  siliceous  matter,  like  those 
around  the  geysers  of  the  Yellowstone,  marking  the  position 
of  the  veins  below  in  process  of  filling  and  formation. 

THE   WOUK   OF  GLACIERS. 

On  such  an  uneroded  country,  let  the  glaciers  be  set  to 
work,  filling  every  fold  and  undulation  of  the  surface.  The 
ice  sheets  would  plane  off  the  tops  of  the  mountains,  expo- 
sing the  rings  of  strata  composing  them,  and  the  ice  tongues, 
or  glaciers,  descending  from  the  sheet,  would  cut  deep, 
broad,  U-shaped  swathes  down  the  sides  of  the  hills,  as 
shown  in  Fig.  1,  and  by  mighty  canyons  expose  the  anatomy 
of  the  mountains  and  the  veins  in  them.  The  debris  from 
this  planing  would  be  distributed  in  windrows  on  the  sides 
of  the  canyons  and  in  moraines  along  ravines,  to  be  win- 
nowed and  assorted  by  subsequent  streams  and  rivers,  and 


m 


M 


'I   liSl 


«  tw 


ml 

m 
m 


50 


PT.Acn':R  MINING. 


the  finer  material  carriiMl  out  oiUo  and  distril)nte{l  ovi-r  the 
phuns,  forming;  soil  tor  the  aj^rieultiirist,  aiul  a  part  to  the 
ocean  to  form  sea-bottoms. 


s 
8 


OMI(;i\   OF  I>RIFT  (;<>l.l). 

If  all  the  gold  that  has  thus  l)een  spread  far  and  wide  in 
minute  grains  by  these  agencies  could  be  collected,  it  would 

far  exceed  all  that 
has  been,  is,  or  ever 
will  be,  obtained  by 
man    in     his    puny 
:>  efforts  at  vein  and 
placer    mining   and 
sand  washing.      We 
!  c  a  n  n  o  t  sup  p  o  s  e 
that  all  this  gold,  so 
widely     distributed 
Fig.  1.  over  the  earth's  sur- 

face, found  more  or  less  in  every  stream,  and  even  among 
the  waves  of  the  seashore,  and  in  regions  far  remote  from  any 
known  gold  veins  or  ore  deposits,  could  all  have  come  from 
well-defined,  gold-bearing,  quartz-fissure  veins,  but  rather 
from  the  general  breaking  up  of  vast  bodies  and  even  moun- 
tains of  crystalline  rocks,  such  as  granites,  porphyries,  lavas, 
and  other  igneous  rocks  containing  more  or  less  gold  dis- 
seminated in  minute  particles  throughout  their  masses. 

ANCIKIVT   PI.ACKR   FOKM A'l  1<).\S. 

Though  modern  placer  deposits  are  generally  conceded  to 
have  been  laid  down  by  the  action  of  comparatively  recent 
glaciers,  streams,  and  other  bodies  of  water,  in  more  or  less 
loose,  incoherent  banks,  yet  there  are  other,  far  older  for- 
mations, firmly  consolidated  into  rock,  which    may  be  con- 


PLACER   MINTXr,. 


T)! 


thr 
the 


sidered  as  ancient  placers,  havin<>-  liad  the  same  alluvial  ori- 
gin as  modern  plac-ers,  and  withal  j^old-bearini;-,  such,  tor 
instance,  as  the  uptilted  g()ld-l)carin;jf  coui-joinerates  of  the 
Transvaal  (Fig.   !),and  the  gold-bearing  Cambrian  (piartzites 


BUtek  Reef 


Coal     »'««'^«*/ 


Main  Gold 
Hearittg  Series 


Fig.  2. 


of  the  Black  Hills  of  Dakota.  These  are  but  ancient  placers, 
river  beds,  or  sea  beaches  containing  gold,  consolidated  by 
time  into  hard  gold-bearing  rock,  and  tilted  up  by  the  up- 
heaval of  the  mountains. 


li 


I  r! 


f  !> 


t.\ 


REQIOIVS  OF    GI.ACIATION  ANR  PI.ACKR  FC)RM.\TIOX. 

Since  glaciers  are  the  parents  of  most  of  our  large  placer 
deposits,  we  must  look  for  such  deposits  principally  in  those 
northern  and  mountainous  regions  which  have  been  most  sub- 
ject to  the  reign  of  glaciers.  Such,  for  instance,  is  Alaska, 
with  its  coast  line  torn  to  tatters  by  long  glacial  fiords,  and 
its  mountain  ranges  cloven  through  and  through  by  the 
passage  of  ancient  and  modern  glaciers,  and  the  Avhole 
region,  as  well  as  that  of  the  adjacent  British.  Columbia, 
traversed  by  a  network  of  streams  and  narrcAV  lakes  derived 
directly  c;r  indirectly  from  the  glaciers.  The  same  phenom- 
ena exist  all  through  the  Sierra  region,  down  the  Pacific 
coast  to  Southern  California,  and  also  in  Idaho,  Washington, 
and  other  northern  regions.  In  all  these,  the  placer  depos- 
its, both  by  glacier  and  stream,  are  often  to  be  estimated  by 
the  hundreds  of  feet  in  thickness,  while  as  we  retreat  inland 


IBOOHO 


m 


Mil 


«i 


PLACER  MINING. 


towards  the  Rocky  Mountain  region,  where  precipitation  was 


"•••c,, 


;ik/MOfcDURAt 


% 


cwMnn  Atrfuffi  ir<M(  wtMp 


Pir,.  ;}. 


less,  the  deposits  decrease  in  size  and  thickness.     The  placer 
areas  arc  represented  b}  the  shad '.id  portions  of  Fig.   '.\. 


\     J 


m 


m 
'11 


was 


If? 


)   CJ 


'~^^- 


lacer 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THE  ORIGIN  AND  DEVfciLOPMENT  OF  PLACER 

MINING. 

Gold   washing   of   alluvial  deposits,   both  in  ancient  and 
modern     times,      preceded  '\^-^-j^  "^ 

vein,  or  lode,  mining.     In  ' 

ancient  times,  vein  mining 
seems  to  have  been  almost 
unknown;  the  gold  of  the 
ancients  was  entirely  de- 
rived from  the  sands  of 
streams.  In  modern  times, 
while  placer  mining  pre- 
ceded, it  often  led  to  the 
discovery  of  veins  and  the 
developing  of  ore  deposits 
in  place.  The  discovery  of 
gold  at  Coloma,  near  Sutter's 
Mill,  California,  in  1848.  by  James  Marshall,  is  a  well-known 
story.  Marshall,  while  digging  a  race  for  a  sawmill,  found 
some  pieces  of  yellow  metal  which  he  thought  might  be  gold, 
a  suspicion  confirmed  by  one  of  his  workmen,  who  had  worked 
gold  in  Georgia.  By  the  help  of  a  "rocker,"  Marshall 
gleaned  about  an  ounce  of  gold  dust.  (See  Fig.  4.)  This 
discovery  led  to  examination  of  other  California  rivers 
having  their  sources  in  the  Sierras,  and  soon  every  stream 
along  the  western  slope  of  the  Sierras  was  being  worked 
for  gold. 


Fig.  4. 


'Pi 

m 

■I' 


iU\ 


54 


PLACER   MINING. 


Di:vi:i.oi»Mi:-xT  of  pi.Aciiw  mining  appliance;*. 

At  tirst  only  the  crudest   appliances  were   used,  such  as 
pick,   shovel,   pan,  and    rocker.     Later    the    "  Long    Tom" 

sluice  was  introc.uced. 
Work  on  dry  bars  led  to 
mining  river  bottoms  by 
wing  dams;  then  streams 
were  turned  from  their 
natural  courses  by  big 
flumes  and  ditches. 
From  the  shallow  placers, 
the  miners  pushed  back 
to  the  deep  deposits,  and 
worked  them  by  Long 
Tom  sluices.  As  the 
dee[)  deposits  of  gravel 
were  often  poorer  than 
the  shallow  placi^/s,  oj)en 
cuts  were  necessary,  and 
long  sluices  were  found 
to  run  dirt  faster  than 
^i^-  5.  shovelers  could  supply  it, 

Edward  Mattison,  of  Connecticut,  thought  he  co.uld  dispense 
with  the  pick  and  shovel  by  using  a  stream  of  water  unde'r 
pressure  to  break  down  the  banks  of  loose  debris,  and  he 
conveyed  a  stream  through  a  rawhide  liose  with  a  wooden 
nozzle,  and  discharged  it  against  the  bank,  as  shown  in  Fig. 
5.  The  earth  was  torn  from  the  bank  and  carried  into 
sluices,  dispensing  with  the  labor  of  shoveling.  This  was 
the  beginning  of  hydraulic  mining. 

gi:m:wai.  dicscmiption  of  pi.  accr  mining. 
The  phicer   miner  takes  advantage  of  the  natural  forces 
that     have     been    acting    for    ages.     Frost,    ice,    mountain 
torrents,  and  the  decay  of  rocks  have  broken  down  veins, 


PLACER   MINING. 


00 


as 
m" 
ed. 

to 
by 


liberated  gold,  and  distributed  it  under  gravel  and  sand  in 
beds  of  both  ancient  and  existing  streams.  These  forces 
having  done  their  work,  the  miner  clears  up  and  harvests 
what  nature  has  mined  for  him.  The  operations  of  nature 
have  been  so  vast,  and  so  gigantic  are  the  deposits,  that 
pick,  shovel,  and  pan  are  frequently  inadequate,  and  more 
powerful  appliances  are  required ;  thus,  powder  blows  up  the 


Fir;.  0. 

deep, -solid  de[)()sits,  water  under  pressure  undermines  and 
washes  away  high  banks  of  gravel,  cranes  and  hoisting- 
apparatus  carry  off  the  huge  boulders,  while  for  harder 
deposits  stam[)  mills  are  requisite.  Water  is  directed  against 
a  gold-bearing  bank  with  the  momentun  acquired  by  falling 
from  an  elevation,  or  with  the  gentler  force  of  a  shorter  fall 
if  it  runs  down  a  sloping  channel.      The  first  is  the  hydraulic 


ill 

m 


il 


:\ 


56 


PLACER   MINING. 


process;  the  second  is  sluicing.  The  first  breaks  up  and 
disintegrates;  the  second  assorts  and  concentrates.  In 
hydraulic  mining,  the  two  are  combined  into  one  operation. 
Water,  falling  through  pipes  from  a  height  of  one  hundred 
or  two  hundred  feet,  is  delivered  through  nozzles  in  contin- 
uous streams  against  a  bank  of  earth,  undermining  it.  (See 
Fig.  G.)  The  overhanging  masses  fall  to  the  base,  and  are 
loosened  and  broken  apart;  the  water  penetrates  every 
crack  and  pore ;  large  boulders  are  thrown  aside  like  pebbles ; 
the  whole  mass  is  stirred  and  mingled,  wLile  the  accumulated 
waters,  thick  with  sand  and  earth,  flow  away  down  the 
slope,  leaving  the  larger  boulders  and  gold  resting,  clean 
washed,  on  the  surface  of  the  bed-rock.  This  process  is 
applicable  where  the  deposits  above  the  lower  gold-bearing 
stratum  are  so  thick  that  they  cannot  be  removed  by  dig- 
ging. To  do  this  there  are  required  :  First,  a  sufficient  head 
or  height  and  quantity  of  water;  second,  a  rapid  fall  or  slope 
from  the  base  of  the  bank,  so  that  water  will  flow  swiftly 
away  and  carry  the  loosened  gravel,  sand,  and  earth  with  it. 

ORIGIN    OF   FLUMES  AND   DITCHES. 

In  California  and  other  gold-mining  districts,  high  moun- 
tains give  rise  to  numerous  streams  flowing  towards  and 
across  the  gold  region,  and  the  deep  valleys  and  ravines  per- 
mit of  ample  fall  and  drainage.  These  streams  have  to  be 
diverted  from  their  course  and  carried  in  ditches  and  flumes 
many  miles,  along  easy  grades.  The  best  gold  deposits  are 
in  trough-like  basins,  hemmed  in  by  rocky  walls,  through 
which  artificial  outlets  must  be  cut  to  get  drainage.  When 
the  position,  depth,  and  richness  of  a  deposit  are  adapted  to 
hydraulic  mining,  an  outlet  must  be  provided  for  the  water. 
It  may  be  there  by  nature,  or  it  may  involve  the  cutting  of 
a  tunnel  through  the  "rim-rock"  from  an  adjoining  ravine 
to  tap  the  lowest  part  of  the  basin  and  secure  a  vertical 


PLACER   MINING. 


57 


fall  of  from  50  to  100  feet  to  the  base  of  the  deposit. 
Many  years  and  great  sums  of  money  have  been  spent 
on  these  undertakings.  These  tunnels  may  vary  from  a 
few  hundred  feet  to  a  mile  or  more  in  length;  their  average 
dimensions  are  from  six  to  eight  feet  wide  by  seven  feet  high. 
In  1807,  in  California,  there  were  5,328  miles  of  artificial 
ditches,  according  to  Blake,  and  800  miles  more  of  subsidiary 
ones,  cut  into  the  earth  of  the  hillsides  and  crossing  rocky 
points  and  deep  valleys  by  flumes  and  pipes. 

EXAMPLES   OF  DITCHES   AND  FLUMES. 

There  were  ditches  eight  feet  wide  at  the  top,  six  feet 
wide  at  the  bottom,  and  three  feet  deep,  with  a  grade  of 
from  twelve  feet  to  eighteen  feet  per  mile.  Large  sheet-iron 
pipes  were  found  better. than  wooden  flumes  and  were  gen- 
erally adopted.  One  flume  was  1,300  feet  long,  200  feet 
above  the  surface,  and  supported  on  wooden  towers.  On 
the  Truckee  (or  U)  ditch  there  were  thirteen  miles  of  flume, 
eight  feet  wide  and  four  feet  deep,  hung  on  the  side  of  a 
deep  canyon. 

ORIGIN   OF  THE   USE  OF  PIPES. 

Flumes  are  difficult  to  keep  in  repair  and  are  liable  to  be 
broken  or  blown  down,  and  if  left  dry  the  boards  warp  and 
split,  and  the  repairs  of  a  flume  cost  90  per  cent,  more  than 
those  of  a  ditch ;  hence,  the  substitution  of  wooden  and  iron 
pipes.  Pipes,  moreover,  prevent  loss  of  water  by  evapora- 
tion. Wooden  pipes  are  made  up  of  wooden  staves  bound 
together  by  round  iron  bands.  Iron  pipes  are  of  stout  sheet 
iron  or  boiler  iron,  and  are  made  either  in  short  joints, 
several  of  which  are  riveted  together,  forming  sections  about 
20  feet  long,  or  of  continuous  helical  strips  (the  so-called 
"spiral-riveted  "  pipe)  running  the  full  length  of  a  section. 
The  thickness  of  the  iron  and  the  number  and  size  of  the 
rivets  depend  upon  the  pressure  of  the  water;  the  smaller 


58 


PLACER   MINING 


II 

4.40 

1 

4.S9 

1 

4.M 

1 

4.BO 

e.ag 

1 

1 

1 

i 

! 

of  bee 

pipes  are  from  7  to  11  inches  in  diameter  and  are  usually 
made  of  No.  20  iron.  The  sections  are  united  on  the  ground 
and  secured  by  wire  wound  around  pi  ojecting  eaves  or  hooks 
of  iron  upon  each  end  of  each  section.  The  whole  pipe  is 
firmly  fastened  to  the  surface  by  posts  set  in  the  ground,  to 
prevent  it  from  rolling  down  slopes  or  being  carried  away 
by  freshets  or  snowslides.  In  El  Dorado  County,  California, 
a  pipe  is  used  to  carry  50  inches  of  water  across  a  valley 
1,000  feet  wide  and  90  feet  deep.  The  pipe  is  10  inches  i  i 
diameter,  of  iron  ^V  inch  thick ;  the  supply  is  90  feet  higher 
than  the  delivery.  Ditches  are  often  built  by  companies,  and 
the  water  sold  to  the  miner  at  so  much  per  miner's  inch  per 
day  of  10  hours. 

l>ISTRIBUTIO]V  OF   OOLI)  IN    OEPOSITS. 

In   a  few  cases,  gold  is  rich  in  thin  streaks  of  cemented 
gravel  and  alluvions  on  the  top  gravel.     Even  in  high  banks, 

the  upper  "  top  gravel,"  if  of  a  fine, 
light,  quartz  wash,  without  boulders, 
has  been  washed  at  a  profit ;  hence, 
the  miner  tests  the  whole  deposit.  A 
fine  lamina  is  sometimes  found  at 
grass  roots.  Pay  gravel  may  oc- 
cur high  above  bed-rock,  but  gener- 
ally the  top  gravel  is  not  rich  enough 
to  pay,  the  gold  concentrating  in 
those  strata  within  a  few  feet  of  bed- 
rock and  on  and  in  bed-rock  itself, 
A  section  of  a  placer  bed  from  sur- 
face to  bed-rock  is  shown  in  Fig.  7. 
Sand  is  generally  poorer  than 
gravel  or  boulders.  Rich  pay  may 
occur  in  undulations  and  depressions 
of  bed-rock;  on  the  other  hand,  deep  holes  caused  by  water- 


iwdUJiL^i, 


Valv« 
ptrOuXd 

to  Bto 


».W 


a.7B 

8.14 
4.00 


FIG. 


PLACER   MTNTNr7. 


59 


■■}.■ 


n 


falls  are  often,  contrary  to  expectations,  unproductive. 
Accumulations  may  assume  the  form  of  recliring  cones,  the 
apex  resting  on  the  top  of  the  hillock,  the  gold  being 
concentrated  in  the  lower  end  of  tlie  deposit. 

Placers  in  place,  that  is,  lying  in  a  gold  vein,  may  contain 
deposits  similar  in  quantity  and  distribution  to  those  of  the 
original  vein  on  which  they  lie. 

•  Placers  of  accumulation  are  the  richest  where  the  current 
of  the  stream  was  interrupted  by  diminution  in  its  fall,  by 
sudden  change  of  direction,  entrance  of  tributaries,  or  by 
reefs,  bars,  and  eddies,     (See  (a),    Fig.  8).     Small  depres- 


FlG.    8. 


sions,  creases,  holes,  and  fissures  {A,  ^-i)  in  bed-rock  over 
which  the  current  passes  are  likely  to  be  rich.  (See  (d)  and 
{c),  Fig.  S.)  As  there  are  at  times,  in  some  placers,  different 
periods  of  deposition,  the  lowest  layers  of  each  period  are 
apt  to  be  the  richest.  Several  periods  of  deposition  may 
have  succeeded  one  another,  and  several  rich  strata  occur  on 
the  same  ground.  Not  only  the  courses  of  present  streams, 
but  also    the    channels  of    ancient  rivers,   are  localities    of 


60 


PLACER    MINING. 


! 


placers;  the  latter  are  the  so-called  "deep  leads."  (See  (d). 
Fig.   8.) 

Alluvial  layers  may,  at  intervals,  by  a  cementing  process, 
form  a  seeming  bed-rock,  called  a  false  bottom.  There  may 
be  one  or  more  such  false  bottoms  before  the  true  bed-rock 
is  reached,  and  gold  may  occur  on  each  of  these. 

Placers  have  generally  been  formed  of  material  transport- 
ed some  distance  by  glaciers  and  drifts,  but  placer  diggings 
sometimes  occur  on  the  very  outcrop  of  decomposed  gold 
veins,  and  are  called  "placers  in  loco,"  or  in  place.  The 
deep  leads  were  the  work  of  a  river  system  quite  distinct 
from  that  now  existing.  Modern  rivers,  cutting  across  these 
old  river  courses,  have  redistributed  their  golden  sands. 
Placers,  as  a  rule,  are  much  richer  than  the  veins  from  which 
they  have  been  derived. 

Gold  dust,  under  certain  favorable  chemical  conditions, 
may  amalgamate  into  masses,  forming  nuggets,  such  as  are 
rarely  found  in  veins.  Shallow  placers  are  often  iue  entire- 
ly to  the  disintegration  of  quartz  veins  near  by ;  in  such 
cases,  the  drift  will  be  barren  above  the  point  where  the  reef 
or  vein  crosses  it.  Plain  diggings  present  a  great  variety, 
both  in  character  and  material  of  deposits. 

Gold  alluvions  occur  in  river  channels,  in  basins,  and  on 
flats,  as  surface  deposits  of  sand  and  gravel,  and  as  accumu- 
lations of  clay,  sand,  gravel,  pebbles,  and  boulders  of  all 
sizes,  with,  in  some  cases,  caps  of  lava.  Shallow  placers  are 
those  whose  deposits  vary  from  a  few  inches  to  several  feet, 
as  distinct  from  deep  placers,  which  cover  large  areas  and 
are  frequently  several  hundred  feet  in  depth. 

"  Hill  claims  "  are  deposits  of  gravel  on  hills. 

"  Bench  claims  "  are  deposits  occurring  in  bench-like  forms 
on  declivities  above  the  line  of  existing  rivers. 

"Gulch  diggings  "  are  found  in  gulches  and  ravines. 


;S! 


PLACER    MINING. 


61 


"  Flat  deposits"  occur  in  small  plains,  or  "flats." 

"  Bar  claims  "  are  bars  of  sand  and  gravel  on  the  sides  of 
streams  above  water-level. 

'*  Black  sands  "  are  the  gold-bearing  sands  of  the  seashore. 

"  Surface  mining  "  and  "deep  mining  "  are  the  two  main 
divisions  of  placer  mining.  "Sluice,"  "drift,"  and  "hy- 
draulic digging  "  are  local  names. 

EXAMPLES   OF   PLACER  BANKS. 

In  the  Ballarat  gold  fields  of  Victoria,  the  wash  dirt  is  in 
a  series  of  leads  of  varying  widths,  starting  from  the  same 
point  and  trending  in  different  directions  towards  the  deep 
leads.  In  one  placer,  the  width  of  the  gutter  and  reef  wash 
was  100  feet,  and  the  depth  of  pay  dirt  5  feet.  The  barren 
drifts  overlying  the  pay  dirt  were  of  black  clay,  the  reef  of 
green  slate,  and  the  bottom  of  sandstone.  At  another  place, 
wash  dirt  0  feet  thick  was  of  a  dark  blue  granite  or  green 
slate.  At  Melbourne,  the  formation  is  Upper  Silurian  schist, 
traversed  by  a  metalliferous  eruption  of  dikes.  The  gold 
lies  in  crevices  in  the  rotten  bed-rock,  and  in  "potholes"  in 
the  ancient  river  bottoms.  Nuggets  have  been  found  in 
soft  clay  and  in  the  face  of  bed-rock. 


4 


CHAPTER  X. 


Hi 


METHODS    OF     VVOHKII^JG— SURFACE     MINING; 
WORKING    FROZEN    GROUND  :     DRIFTING  ; 
HYDRAULICKING. 

Surface  mining  is  applit  d  to  operations  in  shallow  placers, 
and  in  new  districts  frequently  gives  very  large  returns. 
These  deposits  are,  however,  limited  in  extent  and  soon 
worked  out.  In  localities  where  water  was  scarce,  dry  wash- 
ing was  formerly  resorted  to.  Selected  rich  dirt  was  pul- 
verized and  worked  in  a  batca,  or  wooden  dish,  the  earthy 
portions  being  separated  by  a  circular  motion  given  the  dish. 
Gold  was  also  extracted  by  winnowing. 

Along  the  Pacific  Coast,  "beach  mining"  was  practised. 
The  gold  occurs  in  the  sands  of  the  beaches  in  a  very  finely 
divided  state,  in  layers  of  magnetic  iron,  or  "black  sand," 
where  it  has  been  concentrated  by  the  action  of  wave  and 
tide.  By  the  wash  of  the  waves,  the  lighter  quartz  sand  is 
carried  away,  leaving  the  gold-bearing  black  sand  behind, 
and  this  is  then  covered  by  barren  material.  When  the  tide 
ebbs,  the  miners  scrape  up  the  thin  gold-bearing  layers  and 
transport  the  material  to  the  washing  places,  where  it  is 
washed  in  sluices.  These  black  sands  assay  from  $10  to  $30 
per  ton,  only  a  part  of  which,  however,  can  be  recovered. 
Platinum  occurs  with  the  gold,  in  less  flattened  grains. 

BAR  ANI>   RIVBR  MINING. 

In  the  early  days,  river  mining  was  extensively  carried  on. 
When  the  portion  of  the  bars  above  water-level  was  ex- 
hausted, the  miners  extended  their  operations  to  those  parts 
under  water.     This  necessitated  the  streams  being  dammed 


PLACER    MTNINr.. 


63 


or  diverted  into  a  new  channel  (see  Fi^\  !)).  Beds  of  rivers 
for  lon^  distanees  were  laid  hare,  and  much  expense  and 
risk  were  incurred  from  Hoods  and  breaking  of  dams  ;  yet, 
though  the  losses  were 
often  great,  the  profits 
obtained  in  a  short  time 
were  sometimes  enor- 
mous. In  some  cases, 
instead  of  turning  a 
river  from  its  course, 
dredging  machines  have 
been  used  for  the  pur- 
pose of  raising  the  mate-  .^ 
rial  to  the  surf  ace,  where 
it  is  washed  in  the  usual 
manner  for  its  gold 
contents.  The  Santa  Fe  Placer  Mining  Company  is  mining 
the  beds  of  the  Galisteo  River  and  the  Rio  Grande  by 
dredging.  For  this  purpose,  the  Nettleton  placer  machine 
was  designed.  This  machine  is  simply  a  powerful  steam 
bucket  dredge,  with  a  capacity  of  one  cubic  yard  of  material 
per  minute,  having  as  an  auxiliary  a  0-inch  centrifugal 
pump,  whose  .suction  pipe  will  extend  down  the  dredge  ladder 
to  within  12  inches  of  the  lowest  point  reached  by  the 
buckets.  It  is  claimed  that  this  pump  will  not  only  bring 
up  the  necessary  water  for  sluicing,  but  also  such  loose  ma- 
terial as  may  be  left  by  the  buckets,  and  will  in  a  great 
measure  cle^r  the  bed-rock  of  gold.  The  product  of  the 
dredge  and  pump  is  deposited  in  a  sluice-box  25  feet  above 
the  deck  of  the  barge,  from  which  elevation  the  work  is 
done  b^  gravity  until  the  material  and  water  are  disposed  of. 
Passing  down  the  first  sluice  of  80  feet,  a  grizzly  or  grating 
is  reached,  removing  all  stones  over  3  inches  in  diametet, 


04 


PLACER    MTNTNG. 


the  finer  material  passinji;  through  screens  which  further  re- 
duce it  to  one-half  inch  and  smaller.  So  the  non-productive 
material  is  removed  at  once  and  deposited  behind  the  barge. 
The  percentage  of  fine  flour  gold  being  very  large,  the  ma- 
terial is  passed  over  a  burlap  sluice,  the  fibers  of  which  ar- 
rest and  hold  the  gold.  The  usual  accompanying  "black" 
or  magnetic  sand  carries  a  great  deal  of  gold,  as  much,  at 
times,  so  it  is  reported,  as  ^2,000  per  ton.  To  save  this, 
after  passing  the  burlap  the  matter  comes  in  contact  with 
strong  magnets  placed  in  the  circumference  of  a  cylinder, 
the  iron  adhering  to  the  magnets,  from  which  it  is  removed 
by  a  revolving  brush,  the  non-magnetic  matter  passing  on 
to  a  revolving  screen,  where  it  is  reduced  to  -fY'"^h>  prepara- 
tory to  being  run  over  amalgamated  plates,  such  as  are  used 
in  stamp  mills,  or  into  a  series  of  boxes  containing  quick- 
silver. By  this  time  all  collectible  gold  will  have  been 
caught,  and  after  being  run  out  through  traps  to  save  any 
stray  amalgam  or  quicksilver,  the  now  barren  material  will 
pass  into  a  tailings  well,  to  be  taken  up  by  an  8-inch  centrif- 
ugal pump  and  deposited  far  behind  the  boat.  Fine  sand 
settling  in  the  riffles  of  the  sluices  or  burlap  may  be  treated 
with  cyanide.  Depressions  in  bed-rock  which  the  dredge 
can  not  reach  may  be  reached  by  an  air  caisson,  and  the 
bed-rock  thoroughly  cleaned. 

Another  plan  suggested  is  to  raise  the  material  and  water 
for  sluicing,  with  a  centrifugal  pump,  to  the  amalgamating 
plant  placed  on  the  bank.  Large  .stones  and  gravel  from 
the  screens  will  be  deposited  in  the  excavation  back  of  the 
workings;  the  fine  tailings,  and  the  sluice  and  surplus 
water  will  be  conducted  down  the  river  by  flume  a  sufficient 
distance  to  prevent  their  return.  This  plan  will  enable  the 
bed-rock  depressions  and  crevices  to  be  cleaned  by  hand  at 
less  expense  than  by  dredge  or  caissons.     The  water  flow  of 


PLACER    MTNTNO. 


(;:> 


the  river  will  not  exceed  1(>,()(»(>  gallons  per  minute  durinjj 
ten  months  in  the  year,  so  no  }^reat  capacity  of  i)umps  will 
be  needed.  The  natural  conditions  have  made  the  (ialisteo 
River  a  promising  proposition.  The  extent  of  its  gold  de- 
posits can  only  be  conjectured. 

Ground  sluicing  consists  in  treating  gold-bearing  gravel, 
dug  out  by  pick  and  shovel,  by  washing  it  in  trenches  cut 
in  bed-rock.  It  is  like  hydraulicking,  except  that  the  water 
is  not  used  under  pressure,  and  often  wooden  sluices  are  dis- 
pensed with  entirely,  the  rough  rock  serving  for  riffles. 
The  lighter  material  is  carried  away  by  the  water,  and 
the  heavier  dirt  remaining  behind  is  oUected  and  worked 
by  rockers.  Ground  sluicing  is  often  adopted  where  there  is 
not  a  sufficient  amount  of  water  for  the  constant  use  of  a 
box  sluice,  and  a  head  can  only  be  gotten  for  a  short  period 
after  heavy  rains.  A  ground  sluice  is  then  used,  if  there  is 
abundant  fall  and  outlet  for  the  tailings.  It  is  a  gutter 
worn  by  the  water  in  its  flow,  the  miner  assisting  the 
operation  by  loosening  the 
earth  with  a  pick.  The 
pay  dirt  is  washed  in  by  the 
stream  or  conveyed  thither 
by  manual  labor.  If  the  ^^S^ 
bottom  be  a  hard,  uneven 
rock,  its  inequalities  will 
suffice  to  arrest  the  gold ;  if  ^^^ 
not,  a  number  of  boulders,  d 
too  heavy  to  be  moved  by 
the  stream,  are  thrown 
carelessly*, into  the  sluice.  This  process  saves  only  the 
coarse  gold.  To  clean  up,  the  water  is  diverted  from 
the  channel  and  the  auriferous  matter  collected,  to  be  panned 
out  or  cradled.  - 


w 


PLACER    .MTNINCr. 


ill  I 


¥    i 


Booming;  is  ground  sluicing  on  a  large  scalr,  hy  means  of 
an  intermitlcnt  supply  of  water.  The  water  is  collected 
behMid  a  dam  with  an  automatic  gate  (Fig.  10),  which, 
when  the  dam  is  full,  opens,  and  the  entire  contents  of  the 
reservoir  go  down  with  a  r!^sh  carrying  into  the  sluices  all 
the  material  collected  below.  The  rush  of  waters  carries 
off  boulders  and  dirt,  leaving  '.he  heavier  particles  of  gold 
and  xiiagnetic  iron,  or  black  sand,  collected  behind  on  the 
bed-rock  floor. 

WOKKING  FROZEr*    GROUND. 

In  the  placer  mines  of  Siberia  and  Alaska,  the  ground  is 
frozen  to  a  conside'/able  depth.  Frozen  gravel  will  success- 
TuUy  resist  all  attacks  of  pick  and   shovel,  and   its  extreme 

•ghness  renders  even  drilling  and  blasting  very  tedious 
and  ineffective,  so  the  miner  thaws  the  ground  before  at- 
tempting to  dig  it.  This  he  accomplishes  by  building  a  fire 
against  the  ground  to  be  removed.  In  sinking  his  shaft,  if 
the  surface  is  frozen,  he  builds  a  fire  of  wood  where  he 
desires  to  sink,  ard  the  heat  from  this  thaws  out  tlie  ground 
for  some  little  distance.  The  fire  it,  rendered  more  effective 
by  covering  it  vvith  charcoal,  thus  confining  the  heat. 
When  the  fire  dies  dcnvn,  the  miner  scrapes  aside  the  .mbers 
and  shovels  away  the  loosened  ground  beneath,  until  he 
comes  once  more  to  the  frozen  portion,  where  another  fire 
is  built  and  the  whole  operation  repeated;  and  thus  down 
to  bed-rock.  The  sides  of  the  shaft  are  given  what  little 
Biipport  is  necessary  by  a  light  cribbed  timbering  or  a  rough 
square  set  with  lagging. 

From  the  bottom  of  the  shaft  the  miner  starts 'his  drift. 
He  is  obliged  to  thaw  every  foot  of  this,  also.  A  strong 
wood  fire  is  built  against  the  face  of  the  drift,  covered  with 
charcoal   as   before,    and    allowed    to    burn    out;    in   other 


PLACER    MTNING. 


or 


respects,  the  work  is  the  sanie  as  in  ordinary  driflini;.  All 
workinj^s  must  be  tightly,  thouj;h  not  hervily,  timi)ere(l. 
This  feature  is  frequently  nejLjlected,  with  inany  sad  acci- 
dents as  a  result.  Match-boards  (tongued  and  grooved)  are 
frequently  used  on  the  sides,  though  either  round  or  spht 
lagging  will  answer  if  closely  set.  Tn  cross-cuts  and  cham- 
bers, the  roof  timbering  should  be  entirely  independent  of 
that  of  the  sides,  as  in  Fig.  11.     Large  deposits  are  divided 

Ilia  [I 


!  ■*; 

I 


MM 


^^•^— ■••■^^■••■.•■■•ayi 


-^    '» 


^^!^ 


IJ  |I»MW 


Fk;.  11. 

into  blocks,  on  the   familiar  pillar  and  stall  system  of  coal 
mining.     (See  {(r),  Fig.  11.) 

VENTILATION. 

Any  of  the  simple  mine  ventilation  methods  may  be  em- 
ployed to  clear  the  drifts  of  the  noxious  gases  generated  by 
the  fire,  and  to  keep  the  air  in  the  workings  pure.  Warm  air 
and  gas  naturally  rise  to  the  roof  of  the  drift  and  (nit  of 
the  shaft  on  the  side  nearest  the  drift,  the  cool  air  from  the 


rl 


iSf| 


68 


PLACER    MTNINO. 


surface  cominsjf  down  the*  other  side  of  the  shaft  and  along 
the  floor  of  the  drift  to  the  face.  As  the  drifts  get  longer, 
particularly  in  small  and  low  workings,  the  air  from  the 
face  has  more  time  to  cool  and  diffuse  with  the  fresh  air, 
and  the  current  gets  weaker  and  weaker,  so  that  it  finally 
becomes  necessary  to  use  artificial  aids  to  the  ventilation. 
The  simplest  of  these  is  by  furnishing  an  artificial  separa- 
tion for  the  outgoing  and  incoming  air-currents.  A  brattice 
is  made  by  fastening  canvas  from  top  to  bottom  along  the 
middle  row  of  posts  shown  in  Fig.  11,  or  boarding  up  be- 
tween the  posts  with  light  plank.  This  is  continued  nearly 
to  the  face  and  usually  up  to  the  surface,  dividing  the  work- 
ings into  two  passages,  the  cool,  fresh  air  from  above  pass- 
ing down  one  and  forcing  the  warm  air  and  gas  out  through 
the  other  to  the  surface.  If  the  heat  of  the  mine  does  not 
create  sufficient  draft,  a  fire  can  be  built  at  the  uptake  side  of 
the  shaft,  the  draft  created  by  the  fire  assisting  the  natural 
draft  of  the  mine.  Ventilation  may  also  be  facilitated  by 
the  use  of  a  fan,  either  forcing  fresh  air  down  the  shaft 
or  exhausting  the  vitiated  air;  the  latter  form  is  better  when 
the  scale  of  the  w^ork  is  large  enough  to  warrant  the  use  of 
power-driven  fans.  For  small  workings,  too  narrow  to  per- 
mit division  by  brattices,  a  small  hand  fan  may  be  used  at 
the  surface  or  at  some  poini  along  the  workings  where  the 
air  is  good,  the  air  being  carried  to  the  face  in  tin  or  sheet- 
iron  pipes  or  wooden  boxes,  and  delivered  towards  one  side 
and  at  the  bottom  of  the  face,  this  scheme  giving  the  quick- 
est and  best  ventilation.  For  long  tunnels,  a  furnace  sys- 
tem of  ventilation  is  frequently  used,  the  tunnel  being  con- 
nected with  the  surface  by  shafts,  which  are  sunk  or  upraised 
at  intervals  as  the  work  progresses.  The  hot  air  and  gas 
from  the  fire  at  the  face  rise  through  the  nearest  shaft,  and 
cool,  fresh  air  replaces  them,  coming  down  the  shafts  further 


i 


PLACER    MININr.. 


(1!) 


back  along  the  drift.  As  soon  as  the  face  gets  so  far  beyond 
the  shaft  that  its  ventilation  becomes  very  sh)w  and  poor,  a 
new  connection  is  made  with  the  surface;  the  use  of  a  hand 
fan  at  the  foot  of  the  shaft  or  a  light  brattice  carried  along 
the  side  of  the  drift  from  the  last  shaft  to  the  face,  with  a 
curtain  behind  the  shaft  to  prevent  a  direct  current  of  air 
between  it  and  the  previous  shafts,  and  thus  force  the  fres-h 
air  to  follow  the  brattice,  will  allow  the  drift  to  be  carried 
forwas  ur  onsiderably  farther  before  again  connecting  with 
the  surface. 

The  effect  of  the  fires  in  the  drifts  is  to  raise  the  tempera- 
ture to  an  oppressive  point,  so  that,  as  in  some  of  the  large 
Siberian  mines,  the  miners  work  stripped  to  the  skin,  though 
the  temperature  outside  is  many  degrees  below  zero.  An 
amount  of  wood  equivalent  to  a  thickness  of  one  foot  across 
the  face  will  thaw  out  about  the  same  depth  of  gravel. 
Fourteen  inches,  however,  is  about  the  maximum  depth  to 
which  the  thawing  will  extend. 


;i" 


't 


DHIFTING. 

Gold  is  mined  in  deep  deposits  by  tunnels  and  drifts, 
notably  in  those  districts  where  the  deposits  are  covered  by 
an  overflow  of  lava,  as  in  {(/),  Fig.  8.  Drifting  presupposes 
the  concentration  ot  the  metal  in  a  well-defined  stratum  or 
channel.  When  the  existence  of  a  pay  channel  is  deter- 
mined, it  is  opened  up  and  developed  by  a  tunnel  run  in 
such  a  manner  as  to  drain  all  parts  of  the  mine.  The  loca- 
tic.'.  of  this  tunnel  is  a  matter  of  great  importance.  If  thi 
channel  is  discovered  on  the  hillside,  and  rises  as  it  enters 
the  hiil,  the  tunnel  is  run  along  its  bed,  following  the  bed- 
rock;  otherwise,  the  tunnel  is  driven  below  the  channel,  or 
through  the  "  rim-rock,"  in  suc^h  a,  ])osition  that  the  lowest 
point  of  the  deposit  will  be  above  it.      Sometimes  shafts  are 


im 


I'H 


70 


PLACER    MINING. 


sunk  and  the  gravel  drifted  out  and  raised  through  them  to 
the  surface.  The  tunnel  01. ce  driven  and  the  channel 
opened,  drifts  are  run  through  the  |)ay  ground  on  both  sides, 
and  the  material  is  breasted  out,  timi)ering  being  used  as 
required,  (travel  is  removed  from  the  tunnel  in  mine  cars, 
to  the  mouth,  where  it  is  dumped  on  floors  and  v/ashed  in 
sluices.  When  too  lirmly  cemented  for  simple  washing,  it 
is  first  crushed  under  stamps.  In  some  mines,  steam  loco- 
motives are  used  for  transporting  men  and  material  through 
the  tunnel,  which  may  be  more  than  a  mile  in  length.     In 


Vertical  Section 


Exptanation» 
f^lClianiiel  of 
y^  Fay  Oruvel 


$, 


Lava  Overflow 
Covering  tlie 
Aurtferotu  Gravel 

J^rn  Stole  Bedroek 
S§<5;  Under  the  Oravet 


v^<§^f 


j^jf^ifii:^ 


Auriferous  ifravel 


'expU>red 
Qround 


^%^^l«>^. 


Fk;.  1-^. 

the  "  Sunny  vSouth  "'  mine,  Placer  County,  California,  the 
main  tunnel  is  below  the  channel,  as  shown  in  Fig.  I'l,  thus 
allowing  the  mine  to  be  worked  conveniently. 

HYDUAL'I.IC    MIXI]VG. 

Hydraulic  mining  is  that  method  in  which  the  ground  is 
excavated  by  water  discharged  against  it  under  pressure. 
Deep  placers,  if  sufficiently  rich,  may  be  worked  by  drifting, 
but  hydraulicking  is  far  the  more  economical.      For  hydrau- 


PLACER    MINING. 


71 


licking  there  should  be  ample  facilities  for  (hunt)  aiul  grade, 
a:id  a  sufficient  head  and  supply  of  cheap  water.  When  the 
banks  are  too  firmly  cemented  or  are  cov'^ered  with  lava,  blast- 
ing becomes  necessary  to  shatter  them  before  water  can  be 
advantageously  employed. 

PKI<:LIMI!«AUV    mVESTIGATIOX    OF  PLACERS. 

The  value  of  the  gravel  deposits  is  the  first  consideration. 
Its  determination  involves  ascertaining  the  course  of  the 
channel,  the  depth  and  position  of  bed-rock,  which  may  be 
under  hundreds  of  feet  of  detritus,  the  size  of  the  deposit, 
and  an  estunate  of  the  yield  of  the  ground  and  the  cost  of 
the  work.  The  geology  and  topography  of  the  deposit  and 
its  surroundings  must  be  considered,  to  assist  in  determining 
the  course  of  the  channel,  the  depth  of  bed-rock,  and  the 
facilities  for  dump.  The  value  of  the  gravel  may  be  approxi- 
mated by  makiii;:;  shallow  pits  and  washing  the  material 
obtained  from  them  and  from  other  available  placers,  as 
where  the  bank  has  been  exposed  in  section  by  the  cutting 
of  a  stream.  A  large  enterprise  requires  preliminary  pros- 
pecting by  shafts  down  to  bed-rock  and  by  drifts.  The 
water  supply  and  facilities  for  dump  should  be  carefully 
considered,  and  also  the  length  of  the  working  season. 

Different  cr/lored  gravels,  red,  rusty,  and  blue,  are  some- 
times considered  as  good  signs,  but  are  not  reliable.  Black 
sand  is  often  accompanied  by  gold,  but  may  be  barren. 

EXAMPLES   OF   PROSPECTING. 

The  example  of  the  Malakoff  property  illustrates  the  pre- 
liminary work  which  is  necessary  on  large  deep-placer  enter- 
prises. To  determine  the  value  of  the  claims  and  the 
feasibility  of  working  them,  four  shafts  were  sunk  to  ascer- 
tain the  position  of  the  channel,  the  value  of  gravel,  and 
the  depth  of  bed-rock.     The  first  shaft  struck  the  bed-rock 


7a 


PLACER    MINING. 


i 


of  the  main  tunnel  at  a  depth  of  207  feet;  135  feet  of  this 
was  in  blue  gravel  averaging  41  cents  per  cubic  yard.  From 
the  bottom  of  this  shaft,  drifts  Av^re  run  on  the  cour.se  of 
the  channel  for  a  distance  of  1,200  feet.  The  width  of  the 
channel  was  estimated. at  500  feet.  The  total  length  of  the 
explorations  was  over  2,000  feet.  The  average  assay  of  the 
samples  from  the  various  drifts  was  ^2.01  per  cubic  yard; 
the  actual  yield  of  over  21,000  tons  was  at  the  rate  of  12.75 
per  cubic  yard.  The  gross  cose  of  the  preliminary  work, 
including  the  four  shafts,  was  $60,950.20. 


ii 


;i 


ri.  ■ 


CHAPTER  ::i. 

WATER  SUPPLY— RHSKR vol RS,   DAMS,  AND 

measuri:mi:\t  of  water. 

RESKKVOIRS    SOUWCKS  OF   WATIiR. 

The  water  supply  for  placer  operations  is  obtained  from 
running  streams,  melting  snows,  and  rains.  The  snow 
accumulates  on  the  mountains  during  the  winter,  and  the 
heavy  rauis  and  warm  weather  of  the  spring  season  cause 
rapid  thawing  of  these  snowbanks,  and  enormous  volumes 
of  water  rush  down  the  gullies  and  ravines.  The  placer 
miner  impounds  this  surplus  water  in  large  storage  reser- 
voirs, for  use  during  the  dry  season.  In  selecting  a  reser- 
voir site  the  following  points  should  be  observed  (Bowie): 

1.  A  proper  elevation* 

2.  The  water  supply  from  all  creeks  and  springs  and  the 
catchment  area.* 

3.  The  amount  of  rain  and  snowfall. 

4.  The  formation  and  character  of  the  ground  with 
reference  to  the  amount  of  absorption  and  evaporation. 

The  elevatiop  of  a  reservoir  depends  upon  the  location  of 
the  mines  and  the  extent  of  the  country  which  it  is  proposed 
to  cover  with  a  ditch.  The  reservoir  should  be  located 
below  the  snow  belt,  if  possible,  and  at  the  lowest  point  of 
the  catchment  area,  in  order  to  obtain  the  maximum  supply 
of  wate'"  therefrom.  The  average  and  minimum  supply  ot 
water  from  al!  streams  should  be  carefully  determined. 
Rainfall  is  greater  in  mountain  districts  than  in  lower 
countries,   and  greatest  on   the  slopes  facing  the  direction 


*Area  draining  into  reservoir. 


•41-1 


74 


pla(m^:r  mining. 


from  which  the  moist  winds  blow.  Snowfall  measurements 
are  taken  on  a  level,  and  a  ^iven  amount  of  snow  is  reduced 
to  water,  and  the  fall  calculated  as  rain. 

ABSOWPTION    AM>   HVAPOKATIOIV. 

The  most  desirable  formation  of  ground  for  a  reservoir 
site  is  one  of  compact  rock,  like  granite,  gneiss,  or  slate. 
Porous  rocks,  like  sandstone  and  limestone,  are  not  so  desir- 
able, on  account  of  their  absorptive  qu/^lities.  Steep,  de- 
nuded slopes  are  best,  as  but  little  water  escapes.  The 
greatest  slope  gives  the  largest  available  quantity  of  water. 
Vegetati(m  causes  absorption.  At  the  Bowman  reservoir, 
in  California,  75  per  cent,  of  the  total  rainfall  and  snowfall 
(reduced  to  rain)  is  stored  (Bowie). 

A  reservoir  must  be  made  large  enough  to  hold  a  supply 
capable  of  meeting  the  maximum  demands.  The  area  of 
the  reservoir  should  be  determined,  and  a  table  made  show- 
ing its  contents  for  every  foot  of  (Jepth,  so  that  the  amount 
of  water  avaihible  can  always  be  known.  A  longitudinal 
section  through  the  center  of  the  reservoir,  with  cross- 
sections  and  contour  lines  five  feet  above  each  other,  virtu- 
ally determines  the  height  of  the  dam  and  the  contents  of 
the  reservoir  with  the  water  at  any  depth.  The  Bowman 
reservoir  contains  ab(Hit  l,05(),()0(),()()()  cubic  feet  of  water. 
The  catchment  area  is  28.94  square  miles.  The  cost  of  the 
reservoir  and  dams  was  st>24r>, 707.51.  Besides  the  main  res- 
ervoir, all  mines  have  distributing  reservoirs  which  receive 
the  water  from  the  main  ditch  for  delivery  to  the  under- 
ground claims.  These  are  small  and  adapted  only  for  a 
short  run. 

HAMS. 

Dams  are  used  for  retaining  the  water  in  reservoirs,  for 
diverting  streams,  and  for  storing  in  canyons  debris  coming 
from  the  mines. 


PLACER    .MlNlNCi. 


76 


FOUNDATIONS. 

Foundations  must  be  solid  and  water-tight,  to  prevent 
the  settling  of  the  dam,  leakage  under  its  base,  and  wear  in 
front  by  water  running  over  the  top.  Whenever  possible, 
the  foundation  sho^^ld  be  on  solid  rock.  Gravel  is  better 
than  earth,  but  requires  sheet  piling.  Vegetable  soil  is  un- 
reliable; all  porous  matter,  sand,  and  gravel  must  be  stripped 
off  until  the  solid  ground  is  reached. 


I 


WOOnEN  DAMS. 

Wooden  dams  are  constructed  of  round  or  hewn  logs  one 
to  two  feet  in  diameter,  laid  in  a  series  of  cribs  8  to  10  feet 
square  and  pinned  together  by  tree-nails.  These  cribs  are 
filled  in  with  loose  rock.  A  layer  of  planking  on  the  face  of 
the  dam  makes  it  water-tight.  Abutments  may  be  con- 
structed of  stone,  cement,  or  wooden  cribs. 


H 

■:  Kl 
it  I 


MASONRY'  DAMS. 

The  masonry  of  dams  must  be  well  laid  in  hydraulic 
cement,  so  that  the  stones  cannot  slide  upon  one  another, 
and  the  dam  as  a  whcle  so  set  that  it  cannot  slide  upon  its 
base.  Neither  the  material  nor  the  foundation  must  be  re- 
quired to  bear  too  great  a  pressure.  The  stones  must  not 
be  laid  in  horizontal  courses  extending  from  front  to  rear. 
Binders  should  be  used;  there  should  be  no  continuous 
joints. 

EARTHEN   DAMS. 

Earthen  dams  are  used  for  reservoirs  of  moderate  depth. 
They  should  be  at  least  10  feet  wide  on  top;  a  height  of 
over  GO  feet  is  unusual.  Fig.  13  shows  a  section  of  the 
Bowman  dam  in  California,  which  is  100  feet  high  and 
425  feet  long. 


m 


n 


ill 


PLACER    MININC. 


WAsri-:  i>AMS. 

A  waste  dani  is  a  cril)  of  round  timbers  hi  to  :»()  inches  in 
diameter,  notched  and  bolted  together,  and  the  whole  fast- 


Sirdiner. 

BEDROCK. 

Fig.  13. 

ened  to  bed-rock.  The  cribs  are  filled  solid  with  rocks. 
The  dam  is  provided  with  a  number  of  waste-gates,  each  40 
to  50  square  feet  in  area.  These  waste-ways  are  ordinarily 
kept  closed,  but  are  opened  in  times  of  freshets.  The  struc- 
ture should  be  able  to  withstand  any  flood  to  which  it  is  apt 
to  be  subjected,  the  waste  water  passing  through  the  wastes 
and  over  the  crest.  Water  passing  over  the  dam  falls  onto 
bed-rock  or  onto  a  wooden  apron. 

DCHRIS  13  A  MS. 

Debris  dams  are  obstructions  across  the  beds  of  streams 
to  hold  back  tailings  from  the  mines  and  prevent  damage  in 
valleys  below.      They  may  be  stone,  debris,  wood,  or  brush. 

MKASURKMKIVT  OF  FI.OAVi:VG  WATFK. 

Various  forms  of  water  meters  are  used  for  this  purpose. 
Gauging  by  weirs  of  certain  dimensions  gives  very  close  re- 
sults. In  this  method  the  height  of  the  surface  of  still  water 
above  the  crest  and  some  little  distance  back  from  the  weir 
must  be  measured.     There  should  be  no  considerable  current 


PLACER    ^[TNIX^,. 


7T 


'S   111 

ast- 


t(^  the  water  at  the  place  "f  ineasiireineiit.  I'lowiiii;'  wali-r 
is  also  iMcasiired  hy  ils  dischar^H',  under  pressuri',  lliioiijj,!! 
()rifi(X'S  ().'  re<;ular  section.  The  diseliarj^e  of  llunies  of  reg- 
ular secli(  n  may  be  calculaled  rouj^hly  from  the  mean  sur- 
face velocity.  An  accurate  calculation  of  the  discharj^e  of 
any  stream  may  be  made  by  multiplyinj^  theavx'rage  velocity 
of  the  water  at  any  point  by  the  sectional  area  at  that  point. 
The  discharjj^e  of  small  streams  may  be  estimated  by  filling- 
vessels  of  known  capacity. 

A  ri^ht-angled  V  notch  of  thin  sheet  iron  is  a  convenient 
form  of   aperture   for    measuring   the   discharge  of  water. 


Fig.  14 

The  discharge  in  cubic  feet  per  second  equals  0.0051  times 
the  square  root  of  the  fifth  power  of  the  head,  expressed  in 
inches.  The  notch  is  fitted  in  one  end  of  the  weir  box  (see 
Fig.  14).  The  edge  of  th  :  otch  must  be  sharp  and  beveled 
off,  and  the  inside  face  i  !.;>!  je  at  right  angles  to  the  surface 
of  the  water.  To  keep  </.;iei  the  surface  of  the  water  in  the 
b()x,  above  the  weir,  baffle-boards  are  placed  in  the  upper 
end  of  the  box.  The  distance  a  of  the  surface  of  the  water 
below  the  top  of  the  Weir  is  taken  at  a  point  some  distance 
back  from  the  notch  (18  to  24  inches),  where  the  water  is 
level.  This  distance,  subtracted  from  the  total  depth  H  of 
the  weir,  gives  the  head  h  of  the  water  passing  over  the  weir. 
The  head  is  obtained  as  follows: 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


1.0 


I.I 


1.25 


J50      "^K 


?.5 


'-  i™    112.2 

m 

■AO 


lU 


20 


1.8 


U    11.6 


Hiotographic 

Sdences 

Corporation 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14580 

(716)  872-4503 


^^"       ^^3> 


<if 


./"^^ 


\ 


O^ 


«> 


78 


PLACER   MINING. 


A  straight-edge  or  level  is  placed  on  the  weir  plate  P, 
extending  back  over  the  surface  of  the  water  in  the  box, 
and  the  distance  a  between  its  lower  edge  and  the  surface 
of  the  water  measured.  This  distance  subtracted  from  H 
(Fig.  14)  leaves  h.  In  gauging  the  quantity  of  water 
passing  over  a  weir,  the  formula  is 

i2=3.31  L  ^'  + 0.007  Z. 

Q  is  the  quantity,  or  the  discha-ge,  in  cubic  feet  per  second; 
L  the  length  of  the  weir;  //  the  depth  on  the  weir,  corrected 
for  velocity  of  approach;  for  this  formula  //  must  not  be  less 
than  0.07  feet. 

In  the  accompanying  table,  opposite  //,  in  the  column  Q, 
will  be  found  the  number  of  cubic  feet  of  water  flowing  :>ver 
the  notch  in  one  minute. 

THK   MINER'S  INCH. 

The  "miner's  inch  "  varies  in  every  district,  and  is  by  no 
means  a  definite  quantity,  as  the  methods  of  delivering  it 
differ  in  different  places.  It  varies  according  to  the  head 
and  the  height  of  aperture.  Usually,  the  head  is  0  inches 
above  the  center  of  the  aperture.  The  latter  is  a  horizontal 
slit  1  inch  high  and  24  inches  long,  which  can  be  closed  so 
as  to  leave  an  opening  of  any  desired  length — 1  inch  long 
giving  1  inch  of  water,  10  or  VI  inches  long  giving  a  cor- 
responding amount  of  water;  thus,  in  most  districts,  a 
miner's  inch  is  considered  as  that  quantity  of  water  which 
will  pass  through  an  opening  of  1  square  inch  area  under  ? 
mean  pressure,  or  head,  of  (5  inches.  The  quantity  discharged 
from  such  an  opening  in  24  hours  is  equal  to  2,274  cubic 
feet.  A  cubic  foot  is  equal  to  7.4S  U.  S.  gallons,  or  38 
miner's  inches.  In  some  counties  in  California  there  are 
10,  11,  12,  and  even  24-hour  inches.  Discharge  apertures 
are  rectangular,  varying  in  width  from  1  to  17  inches,  and 


PLACER   MINING. 


79 


niMCHAM(;i-:  or  watkw  thuoltkh 

V  XOTCH. 


A  kight-a:v<;lhd 


h 

yuant. 

// 

Ouant. 

/,  ' 

Quant. 

h 

Quant. 

h 

Q 
Quant. 

Head, 

Per 

Head, 

Per 

Head, 

Per 

Head, 

Per 

Head, 

Per 

Inches. 

Min., 

Incht:s. 

Min., 

Inches. 

Min., 

Inches. 

Min., 

Inches. 

Min., 

Cu.  Ft. 

Cu.  Ft. 

Cu.  Ft. 

Cu.  Ft. 

Cu.  Ft. 

1.05 

0.3457 

3.25 

5.827 

5.45 

21.22 

7.65 

49.53 

9.85 

93.18 

1.10 

0.:W84 

3.30 

6.054 

5.50 

21.71 

7.70 

50.34 

9.90 

94.37 

1.15 

0.4340 

3.35 

6.285 

5.55 

22.20 

7.75 

51.16 

9.95 

95.56 

1.20 

0.4827 

3  40 

6.523 

5.60   : 

22.70 

7.80 

51.99! 

10.00 

96.77 

1.25 

0.5345 

3.45 

6.765 

5.65   ; 

23.22 

7.85 

52.83 

10.05 

97.98 

1.30 

0.5896 

3.50 

7.012 

5.70 

23.74 

7.90 

53.67 

10.10 

99.20 

1.35 

0.6480 

3.55 

7.266 

5.75 

24.26 

7.95 

54.53 

10.15 

100.43 

1.40 

0.7096 

3.60 

7.524 

5.80 

24.79 

8.00 

55.39 

10.20 

101.67 

1.45 

0.7747 

3.65 

7.788 

5.85 

25.33 

8.05 

56.26 

10.25 

102.92 

1.50 

0.8432 

3.70 

8.058 

5.90 

25.87 

810 

57.14 

10.30 

104.18 

1.55 

0.9153 

3.75 

8.332 

5.95 

26.42 

8.15 

58.03 

10.35 

105.45 

1.60 

0.9909 

3.80 

8.613 

6.00 

26.98 

8.20 

58.92 

10.40 

106.73 

1.65 

1.0700 

3.85 

8.899 

6.05 

27.55 

8.25 

59.82 

10.45 

108.02 

1.70 

1.1530 

3.90 

9.191 

6.10 

28.12 

8.30 

60.73 

10.50 

109.31 

1.75 

1.2400 

3.95 

9.489 

6.15 

28.70 

8.35 

61.65 

10.55 

110.62 

1.80 

1.3300  1 

4.00 

9.792 

6.20 

29.28 

8.40 

62.58 

10.60 

111.94 

1.85 

1.424(> 

4.05 

10.100 

6.25 

29.88 

8.45 

63.51 

10.65 

113.26 

1.90 

1.5220 

4.10 

10.410 

6.30 

30.48 

8.50 

64.45  1 

10.70 

114.60 

1.95 

1.6250 

4.15 

10.730 

6.35 

31.09 

8.55 

65.41  1 

10.75 

115.94 

2.00 

1.7310 

4.20 

11.060 

6.40 

31.71 

8.60 

66.37 

10.80 

117.29 

2.05 

1.8410 

4.25 

11.390 

6.45 

32.33 

:  8.65 

67.34 

10.85 

118.65 

2.10 

1.9550 

4.30 

11.730 

6.50 

32.96 

8.70 

68.32 

10.90 

120.02 

2.15 

2.0740 

4.35 

12.070 

6.55 

33.60 

8.75 

69.30 

10.95 

121.41 

2.20 

2.1960 

4.40 

12.420 

6.60 

34.24 

8.80 

70.30 

11.00 

122.81 

2.25 

2.3230 

4.45 

12.780 

6.65 

34.89 

8.85 

71.30 

11.05 

124.21 

2.30 

2.4550 

4.50 

13.140 

6.70 

35.56 

8.90 

72.31 

11.10 

125.61 

2.35 

2.5900 

4.55 

13.510 

6.75 

36.23 

8.95 

73.33 

11.15 

127.03 

2.40 

2.7300 

4.60 

13.890 

6.80 

36.89 

9.00 

74.36 

11.20 

128.45 

2.45 

2.8750 

4.65 

14.270 

6.85 

37.58 

9.05 

75.40 

11.25 

129.90 

2.50 

3.0240 

4.70 

14.650- 

6.90 

38.27 

9.10 

76.44 

11.30 

131.35 

2.55 

3.1770 

4.75 

15.040 

6.95 

38.96 

9.15 

77.49 

11.35 

132.81 

2.00 

3.3350 

4.80 

15.440 

7.00 

39.67 

1  9.20 

78.55 

11.40 

134.27 

2.65 

3.4980 

4.85 

15.850 

7.05 

40.38 

1  9'?5 

79.63 

11.45 

135.75 

2.70 

3.6660 

4.9" 

16.260 

7.10 

41.10 

9.30 

80.71 

11.50 

137.23 

2.75 

3.H380 

4.95 

16.680 

7.15 

41.83 

9.35 

81.80 

11.55 

138.73 

2.80 

4.0140 

5.00 

17.110 

7.20 

i  42.56 

9.40 

82.90 

11.60 

140.23 

2.85 

4.1960 

5.05 

17.540 

7.25 

43.30 

9.45 

84.01 

11.65 

141.75 

2.90 

4.3820 

5.10 

17.970 

7.30 

44.06 

9.50 

8.''vl2 

11.70 

143.28 

2.95 

4.5740 

5.15 

18.420 

7.35 

44.82 

9.55 

86.24 

11  75 

144.82 

3.(H) 

4.7700 

5.20 

18.870 

7.40 

45.58 

9.60 

87.37 

11.80 

146.36 

3.05 

4.9710 

5.25 

19.320 

7.45 

46.36 

9.65 

88.52 

11.85 

147.91 

3.10 

5.1780 

5.30 

19.790 

7.50 

47.14 

9.70 

89.67 

11.90 

149.48 

3.15 

5.3880 

5.35 

20.260 

1  7.55 

1  47.92 

9.75 

90.83 

11.95 

151.05 

3.20 

5.6050 

5.40 

20.730 

}  7.60 

48.72 

9.80 

92.  (M) 

12.00 

152.64 

1  cubic  foot  contains  T.  18  U.  S.  gallons  ;  1  U.  S.  gdllon  weighs  8.34  pounds. 


80 


PLACER    MINING. 


in  length  from   a 


few  inches  to  several  feet.  The  dis- 
charjjfe  may  be  through  I -inch,  I^- 
inch,  2-inch,  or  J5-inch  planks  with 
square  edges.  The  bottom  of  the 
opening  may  be  either  flush  with  the 
bottom  of  the  box  or  raised  above  it. 
The  head  may  denote  the  distance 
above  the  center  of  the  aperture  or 
above  its  top,  and  varies  from  4^  inches 
to  12  inches  above  the  center  of  the 
aperture  (see  Fig.  15).  An  aperture 
12  inches  high  by  12|^  inches  wide, 
through  a  1^-inch  plank,  with  a  head  of  (I  inches  above  the 
top  of  the  opening,  gives  a  discharge  of  200  miner's  inches. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

WATER  SUPPLY— DITCHES  AND  FLUMES. 

Thousands  of  miles  of  ditches  have  been  made  in  the 
placer-mining  districts  of  this  country.  On  account  of  the 
rocky  character  of  the  country  in  such  districts,  steep  grades 
are  necessary,  and  high  trestles  with  flumes,  and  wrought- 
iron  and  wooden  pipes  were  built  for  carrying  water  across 
canyons  and  ravines.  In  constructing  ditches,  the  following 
rules  should  be  observed  (Bowie): 

1.  The  source  of  supply  should  be  at  sufficient  elevation 
to  cover  the  greatest  range  of  mining  ground  at  the  smallest 
expense,  great  hydrostatic  pressure  being  desirable. 

2.  An  abundant  and  permanent  supply  of  water  should 
be  assured  during  the  summer  months. 

3.  The  snow-line  should  be  avoided,  and  the  ditch  in 
snow  regions  located  so  as  to  have  a  southern  exposure. 

4.  All  the  watercourses  on  the  line  of  ditch  should  be 
secured,  their  supply  counteracting  the  loss  by  evaporation, 
leakage,  and  absorption. 

5.  At  proper  intervals  waste-gates  should  be  arranged  to 
discharge  the  water  without  danger  to  the  ditch. 

0.     Ditches  are  preferable  to  flumes. 

DITCHES. 
SURVEYING  A  DITCH  LINB. 

Careful  barometrical  observations  should  be  made  to 
approximately  determine  the  elevations,  not  only  of  the 
termini,  but  of  intermediate  points,  from  which  surveying 
parties  can  start  on  the  subsequent  location  of   the  line. 


I 


82 


PLACER  MINING. 


These  poinls  estal)lished,  the  line  is  surveyed  and  started. 
In  leveling,  turning  points  should  be  made  on  grade,  the 
stations  numbered  and  staked,  and  the  pegs  driven  to  grade. 
Every  lour  or  five  stations  the  rodman  calls  off  the  reading, 
which  is  checked  <^iom . the  notes  of  the  instrument  man. 
Stations  may  be  from  50  to  100  feet  apart.  Bench-marks 
should  be  placed  every  half  mile.  All  details  of  tunnels, 
cuts,  and  depressions  requiring  fluming  or  piping  should  be 
worked  out  in  full ;  a  hand-level  can  be  used  for  this  purpose. 
Complete  notes  should  be  made  regarding  the  ground  along 
the  center  line. 

The  size  of  a  ditch  is  regulated  by  its  requirements.  The 
smallest  section  for  any  given  discharge  is  when  the  "hy- 
draulic depth "  is  one-half  of  the  actual  depth.  The 
hydraulic  depth  is  the  quotient  obtained  by  dividing  the 
area  of  the  cross-section  of  the  stream  at  any  point  by  the 
wetted  perimeter  at  that  point.  Trapezoidal  and  rectan- 
gular  forms  are  adopted  for  ditches  and  flumes,  respectively. 
The  resistance  due  to  friction  in  the  latter  form  is  smallest 
when  the  width  is  twice  the  height.  Half  a  regular  hexagon 
is  a  common  form  for  ditches.  In  a  mountainous  country, 
with  rocky  soil,  narrow  and  deep  ditches  with  steep  grades 
are  adopted   in   preference   to   wider   ditches    with    gentler 

slopes,  as  they  are  cheaper 
to  excavate  and  repair. 
Ditches  with  grades  of  1(1 
to    20    feet    per    mile   are 

-ser ■fMMMMM^A    quite     common.       Before 

commencing  work,  the  line 
must    be  cleared   of  trees 
wi^^f,^m,m^^mmmm^    ^^^^^  brush;  on  the    flume 
Fio.  16.  line,  the  brush  for  at  least 

10  feet  on  each  side  is  burned  off.     On  a  hillside,  the  lines 


PLACER   MTNING. 


88 


should  be  graded  off  so  that  the  ditch  may  have  walls  of 
solid,  untouched  ground,  and  not  made  banks.  Banks 
should  be  at  least  15  feet  wide  on  top.  The  SDpe  of  large 
ditches  for  mountain  regions  is  usually  (JO  degrees  for  the 
upper  and  50  degrees  for  the  lower  bank,  but  varies  with  the 
nature  of  the  ground.  The  cost  of  digging  is  estimated  at 
so  much  per  cubic  yard.  The  annual  expense  of  running 
and  maintaining  large  ditchci  averages  about  l?400  per  mile. 
The  North  Bloomfield  ditch,  shown  in  section  in  Fig.  1(J,  is 
55  miles  long,  8.(55  feet^  wide  on  top,  5  feet  wide  at  the 
bottom,  and  3^  feet  deep;  cost,  l<4()(5,7()7.  Its  grade  is 
10  feet  per  mile;  discharge,  3,200  miner's  inches. 

FLUMBS. 

Flumes  are  to  be  avoided  if  possible,  being  liable  to  decay 
and  a  continual  source  of  expense.  Instances  occur,  how- 
ever, necessitating  them,  as  where  water  must  be  carried 
along  the  face  of  vertical  cliffs.  Flumes  usually  have  a 
slope  of  from  25  to  35  feet  per  mile, 
and  are  consequently  proportion- 
ately smaller  than  ditches.  They 
are  usually  made  of  seasoned  pine 
planks  1^  to  2  inches  thick,  12  to  24 
inches  wide,  and  12  to  KJ  feet  long. 
The  edge  joints  are  battened  on 
the  inside  with  pine  strips  3  to  4 
inches  wide  and  ^  inch  thick.  The 
structure  is  reenforced  every  4  feet 
by  a  framing  consisting  of  a  sill,  cap, 
and  two  posts.  A  flume  4  feet  wide 
by  ?  feet  high  requires  4-in.  X  5-in. 
posts  and  caps  and  4-in.  X  O-in.  sills, 
with  8-in.  X  10  in.  stringers.  The  posts  are  set  into  the  sills 
with  a  gain  of  1^  inches  and  not  mortised.      Sills   should 


Kic.  17. 


1* 


R4 


PLACER   MINING. 


ii  I 


extend  Pi  to  'io  inclu'S  boyutid  the  posts,  which  sboiihl  be 
braced.  Fhimes  sliould  be  built  on  solid  beds  or  rigid 
trestles,  as  in  Fig,  17.  In  carrying  a  Hume  around  a  hillside, 
the  bed  should  be  graded  out  and  the  ilume  placed  close 
into  the  bank,  to  avoid  danger  from  snov/slides,  etc. 
Curves  should  be  laid  with  care,  to  ensure  the  maximum 
flow  of  water.  The  boxes  must  be  cut  in  two,  three,  or 
four  parts,  necessitating  more  sills,  posts,  and  caps.  For 
good  curving,  the  side  planks  are  sawed  partially  through 
in  places,  so  as  to  bend  easily.  To  distribute  water  equally 
over  an  entire  flume  and  prevent  slack  water,  irregular 
curves,  and  splashing,  the  outer  side  of  the  flume  is  raised 
in  accordance  with  the  degree  of  curve  and  grade.  Waste- 
gates  should  be  placed  every  half  mile.  In  the  snow  belt, 
flumes  are  covered  with  sheds  in  places  exposed  to  snow- 
slides.  Placing  the  flume  close  into  the  bank  lessens  the 
danger  of  freezing.  If  anchor  ice  forms  on  the  bottom,  the 
water  should  be  turned  out.  Snow  can  be  gotten  rid  of  in 
the  same  way. 

DETAILS  OF  CONSTRUCTION. 

The  bed  being  prepared,  the  stringers  are  laid  and  the 
sills  placed  upon  them  4  feet  apart.  Bottom  planks  are 
nailed  to  the  sills,  the  end  joints  being  carefully  fitted.  The 
side  planks  are  nailed  to  the  bottom  planks  and  posts,  which 
are  set  in  gains  in  the  sills,  an  occasional  cap  being  placed 
on  the  posts  to  hold  the  flume  in  shape.  Sixteen  and  twenty- 
penny  nails  are  used.  The  joints  are  then  battened.  Each 
box,  when  completed,  is  set  on  grade  and  wedged. 

Where  a  flume  connects  Avith  a  ditch,  the  posts,  for  a 
distance  of  several  boxes  bick,  are  lengthened,  to  permit 
the  introduction  of  an  additional  plank  on  each  side.  The 
end  boxes  of  the  flume  are  flared,  to  permit  a  free  entrance 
and  discharge  of  water.     At  the  junction  with  the  ditch  or 


PLACER   MTNTNCt. 


80 


1    l)e 
igid 
lide, 
lose 
etc. 
mm 
or 
For 
ugh 
ally 
ular 
lised 
iste- 
belt, 
low- 
the 
the 
)f  in 


in  passing  through  a  bank  of  earth,  an  outer  siding  is  nailed 
to  the  posts  to  protect  the  flume.  Exact  sizes  of  lumber 
should  be  prepared  at  the  mills,  so  that  the  flume  ("an  be 
rapidly  constructed.  Enough  water  is  turned  into  the  flume 
as  the  work  i)rogresses  to  float  down  the  timber.  The  flume 
may  in  place,  be  trestled  with  supports  every  H  to  \'l  feet. 
The  life  of  a  flume  will  not  exceed  '^0  years  at  most,  and 
generally  10  years.  • 

BUACKKT   FLUMCS. 

Flumes  are  frequently  carried  along  precipitous  canycjns 
and  cliffs  on  brackets  fastened  to  the  face  of  the  cliff.     In 


Fig.  18. 


Butte  County,  California,  a  line  of  ditch  is  run  200  yards 
up  the  canyon  along  a  perpendicular  wall  of  basalt.  For  a 
distance  of  nearly  500  feet  the  flume  is  carried  on  brackets 
along  the  face  of  the  cliff,  118  feet  above  the  bed  of  the 
ravine  at  its  deepest  point,  and  2:Vi  feet  below  the  top.  The 
method  of  hanging  is  shown  in  Fig.  IH.  The  brackets  are 
made  of  :K)-pound  T  rails  bent  into  the  form  of  an  L;  the 
longer  arm-^10    feet  long — on  which  the  bed  of  the  flume 


86 


PLACER  MINING. 


rests,  is  placed  horizontally,  having  its  end  supported  in  a 
hole  drilled  in  the  rock.  The  short  arm — 2  feet  li)ng — stands 
vertically,  and  has  in  its  upper  end  an  eye  into  which  is 
hooked  one  end  of  a  ^-inch  round  iron  rod,  connecting  to  a 
ring  bolt  soldered  into  a  hole  drilled  in  the  face  of  the  cliff. 
Brackets  are  set  8  feet  apart  and  tested  to  stand  a  weight  of 
14^  tons.  The  flume  is  4  feet  wide  and  '.i  feet  deep,  with  a 
capacity  of  3,000  miner's  inches.  The  figure  shows  a 
trestle  8(J  feet  high.  Along  the  line  of  the  ditch  is  a 
trestle  1,080  feet  long  and  80  feet  high.  Another  has  been 
built  luO  feet  high.  The  total  length  of  ditch  and  flume  is 
33^  miles. 


• 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

WATER  SUPPLY— PIPKS  AND  NOZZLES. 

WOOnKN    PIPES.  » 

For  moderate  heads,  wooden-stave  pipes  are  coming  into 
use.  They  are  practicable  for  any  desired  head,  but  are  only 
economical  to  the  point  where  the  pressure  necessitates  such 
close  banding  that  the  cost  exceeds  that  of  iron  or  steel  pipes 
of  the  same  length.  If  kept  full  of  water,  the  staves  will  last 
indefinitely,  and  the  bands  may  be  protected  from  rust  by  a 
coating  of  asphalt  or  other  mineral  paint.  The  amount  of 
iron  in  the  bands  for  each  foot  of  pipe  is  the  same  as  that  in 
a  foot  of  sheet-iron  pipe  of  the  same  diameter,  calculated  to 
withstand  the  same  head  of  pressure,  with  a  considerable 
margin  of  safety. 

IRON   PIPES. 

Wrought-iron  or  steel  pipes  are  used  exclusively  for  very 
high  heads.  For  lower  heads,  either  wood  or  iron  may  be 
used,  the  selection  between  them  being  a  matter  of  location 
and  cost.  Pipes  are  used  as  water  conduits,  replacing  ditches 
and  flumes;  as  supply  or  feed  pipes,  conveying  water  from 
the  pressure  boxes  to  the  claim ;  and  as  distributing  pipes, 
taking  water  from  the  distributors  or  gates  at  the  end  of  the 
supply  pipe  and  delivering  it  to  the  discharge  pipe  or  nozzle, 
which  is  usually  made  of  sheet  iron.  Pipes  used  for  convey- 
ing wate.r  across  depressions  are  called  inverted  siphons.  The 
thickness  of  metal  for  iron  pipes  is  determined  by  the  pres- 
sure of  the  water  and  the  diameter  of  the  pipe.  Pipe  once 
put  together  soon  becomes  water-tight  from  the  foreign 
matter  in  the  water.  This  result  may  be  hastened  by  throw- 
ing  in  a  few   bags  of  sawdust.     Pipes  thus  prepared   will 


88 


PLACER   MINING. 


remain  tipfht  when  siihjcctcd  to  a  pressure  <>f  over  200 
pounds  per  scpiare  inch.  The  Texas  pipe,  Nevaihi  County, 
California,  is  an  inverted  siphon,  4,4;J.S.T  feet  UiU^r  and  17 
inches  in  diameter,  of  riveted  sheet  iron.  Its  inlet  is  ;{04 
feet  above  the  outlet,  and  with  full  head  its  discharge  is 
1,5i<»()  miner's  inches.  The  maximum  Iiead  is  770  feet, 
equivalent  to  a  pressi^re  of  :V.U  pounds  per  square  inch. 

JOIISTS. 

Pipes  in  general  are  11,  15,  2tJ,   .'JO,  and  40  inches  in  diam- 
eter, of  riveted  sheet   iron  or  steel,  Nos.  H,  10,  12,  14,  or  Hi 

(Birmingham  gauge), 
made  in  sections  of  30 
to  30  inches,  and  riveted 
into  lengths  of  20  to  30 
feet.  The  latter  are  put 
together  stove-pipe 
fashion,  neither  rivets, 
wire,  nor  other  contri- 
vances being  necessary. 
Where  there  is  great 
pressure,  iron  collars  or 
lead  joints  are  used. 

Fig.  19  (a)  shows  a 
style  of  joint  which  is 
frequently  used.  /"  is  a 
wrought-iron  collar  5  inches  wide,  '^^f  inch  thicker  than  the 
pipe-iron  and  with  a  play  of  f  inch  between  the  inside 
of  the  collar  and  the  outside  of  the  pipe;  /  is  the 
lead,  which  is  run  in  and  calked  tight  from  both  sid  >; 
;/  is  a  nipple  of  No.  0  iron,  (I  inches  in  width,  rivclnl 
in  one  end  of  each  section  by  f -inch  rivets.  Fig.  h)  (/') 
shows  the  method  of  tightening  leaky  joints,  a  sIi'/Wn 
the  clamp  and  its  method  of  application  for  forcing  back  the 


PLACER    MINING. 


8!» 


■r  200 
unity, 
nd  17 
is  ;{04 
rjre  is 
feet, 


lead  which  has  worked  out  by  the  expansion  and  contraction 
of  the  pipe.  This  is  shown  l)oth  in  perspective  and  cross- 
section.  The  chimp  /;  is  used  to  keep  tbt*  lead  in  phice  after 
it  has  been  forced  back  by  the  clamp  «  The  two  lower 
views  of  this  clamp  show  the  side  and  end  elevations.  Fijj. 
20  shows  the  elbow 
use('  !n  making 
short  curves,  a,  a 
are  angle  irons 
riveted  to  the  elbow  ^'^  '"*"• 

on  the  outside   of  the  curve  and  connected  by  iron  :3tiaps 
with  the  corresponding  angle  irons  in  the  pipe,  as  shown. 


AIR  VAI.VKS;  BLOU^-OFFS. 

To  allow  the  escape  of  air  from  the  pipe  while  filling,  and 

also,  in  case  of  a  break,  to 
prevent  the  formation  of 
a  vacuum  and  the  collapse 
ofthepipe,blow-offsorair 
valves  are  provided.  The 
simplest  form  is  a  loaded 
flap  valve  of  leather  on 
the  inside  of  the  pipe, 
arranged  to  cover  an 
opening  1  inch  to  4 
ir.-^hes  in  diameter. 
Another  simple  auto- 
matic valve  is  shown  in 
Fig.  21.  This  sinks  and 
opens  when  the  water 
leaves  it,  and  shuts 
F,G.  21.  when    the    water    rises 

to   it.      Fig.   22   shows  a  form  of    blow-off  valve   used   in 


I  i 


90 


PLACER   MINING. 


low  places  along  the  pipe  line. 


Fig.  23  shows  another  auto- 
matic water-tight 
vacuum  valve  which 
is  used  at  the  high 
points  on  the  line. 
The  valve  on  the 
right  is  kept  closed 
while  the  pipe  is 
'  •  full,  being  opened 
occasionally  to  blow 


ij<,,»ij,„ij,»„„rm7m 


1    off   air   which  may 
w'^'mm/tm/J   accumulate.        The 


^^^-  '^^-  main  valve  is  opened 

and  the  pressure  of  the  water  keeps  the  automatic 
valve  closed.  In  event  of  a 
break  in  the  pipe  at  a  point 
beyond  this  valve,  the  pres- 
sure on  the  inside  of  the  pipe 
is  released,  the  automatic 
valve  falls  and  admits  the  air, 
preventing  a  vacuum.  On 
refilling  the  pipe,  this  valve 
being  open,  allows  the  air  to 
escape,  closing  only  when  the 
water  reaches  it. 

LAYING  PIPES. 

To  preserve  the  pipe,  it 
should  be  laid  in  a  trench  and 
covered  with  earth  to  a  depth 
of  at  least  a  foot.   Wooden  pipes  Fiu.  23. 

should  be  painted  on  the  outside  with  the  same  mixture  that 
is  used  for  covering  the  bands.  Iron  pipes  should  be  coated 
inside  and  out  with  asphalt  or  coal  tar.     Such  pipes,  well 


PLACER   MININCi. 


ni 


coated,  are  still  in  good  condition  after  15  years  of  service. 
The    following  mixtures  are  found  to  give  the  best  results: 

Crude  asphalt 28     per  cent. 

Coal  tar  (free  from  oily  matter)...  72     percent. 

Or,  Refined  asphalt 10.5  per  cent. 

Coal  tar  (free  from  oily  matter)... 83. 5  per  cent. 

To  prepare  these,  asphalt  in  small  pieces  and  coal  tar  are 
heated  to  about  400°  F.  and  well  stirred.  The  pipe  is  dried 
and  immersed  in  the  mixture,  where  it  remains  until  it 
acquires  the  same  temperature  as  the  bath.  When  coated 
it  is  removed  and  placed  on  trestles,  to  drip  and  dry  in  the 
sun  and  air.  For  convenience  of  immersion,  wrought-iron 
troughs  30  feet  long  by  3  feet  wide  and  2  feet  deep  are  used. 
No.  14  iron  requires  7  minutes'  immersion;  No.  6,  12  to  15 
minutes', 

FILLING    PIPES. 

Pipes  should  be  filled  in  such  a  manner  as  to  prevent,  as 
far  as  possible,  the  admission  of  air,  which  will  be  drawn 
into  the  pipes  along  with  the  water  in  surprising  quantities, 
unless  considerable  care  is  taken.  The  best  plan  is  to  put  a 
gate  in  the  pipe  be- 
low the  intake,  and 
thus  regulate  the 
flow,  maintaining  a 
steady  pressure.  A 
common  form  of  pen- 
stock or  sand  box  for 
intakes    is   shown    in  fig.  s4. 

Fig.  24.  A  grating  of  bars  should  be  provided  to  catch  all 
drift.  The  water  at  the  intake  of  the  pipe  should  be  kept 
quiet  and  sufficiently  dee[)  to  prevent  any  air  from  being 
carried  into  the  pipe.  For  this  purpose  the  box  is  some- 
times divided  into  compartments,  one  of  which  receives  the 


I 


r 


92 


PLACER    MINING. 


water  and  discharges  it  quietly  into  the  second  through 
lateral  openings.  There  should  be  no  difference  between 
the  water  supply  and  the  discharge.  Some  pressure  boxes 
are  arranged  for  two  pipes. 


i 


; 


i 


SUPPLY  OR  FEED  PIPES. 

The  water  is  conveyed  in  iron  feed-pipes  from  the  pres- 
sure boxes  to  the  claim,  and  distributed  to  the  discharge 
pipes  by  means  of  iron  gates.     The  supply  pipe  is  funnel 

shaped  where  it  connects 
with  the  pressure  box,  and 
from  there  on  it  is  usually 
of  uniform  diameter  to  the 
gate  or  discharge  nozzle. 
Where  2'Z  to  30-inch  pipes 
are  used,  lighter  iron  than 
No.  14  B.  G.  is  not  advi- 
sable. The  main  supply 
pipe  should  descend  in  the 
most  convenient  and  direct 
line  into  the  diggings, 
avoiding  angles,  rises,  and 
depressions.  Air  va'ves 
should  be  arranged  at 
Fig.  26.  proper  distances  to    allow 

the  escape  of  air  when  filling  the  pipe,  and  prevent  collapse. 
The  pipe  Is  braced  and  weighted  at  all  angles.  In  filling  the 
supply  pipe,  the  water  should  be  turned  on  gradually.  Leak- 
age in  slip  joints  can  be  stopped  with  sawdust.  Wherever 
a  junction  is  to  be  made  with  another  line,  or  the  stream 
divided,  the  present  practice  is  to  fork  the  main  pipe,  cast- 
iron  gates  being  placed  in  each  branch.  Fig.  25  shows  the 
form  of  gate  generally  used. 


PLACER   MINING. 


93 


EVOLUTION   OF  THK  GIANT. 

We  have  mentioned  how  hydraulicking  began  with  the  use 
of  a  rude  hose  to  break  down  the  banks  of  debris,  and  so  dis- 
pense with  pick  and  shovel. 

GOOSB-NECK. 

The  first  improvement  on  this  primitive  device  was  a 
flexible  iron  joint  formed  by  two  elbows,  one  above  the 
other,  with  a  coupling  joint  between  them,  shown  in  («), 
Fig.  20.  These  elbows  were  called  "goose-necks."  They 
were  defective  in  design.  The  pressure  of  water  caused  the 
joints  to  move  hard,  and  when  the  pipe  was  turned  it  would 
"buck"  or  fly  back,  endangering  the  life  and  limbs  of  the 
operator. 

GLOBE  MONITOR. 

The  goose-neck  was  succeeded  by  the  "Craig  Globe 
Monitor,"  which  is  shown  in  (^),  Fig.  2G.  This  was  a  simple 
ball-and-socket  arrangement,  but  was  very  difficult  of 
manipulation.  , 

HYDRAULIC    CHIEF. 

The  invention  of  the  "  Hydraulic  Chief,"  by  F.  H.  Fisher, 
was  the  next  step.  The  machine  is  shown  in  (r).  Fig.  20. 
The  main  improvements  consisted  of  two  elbows,  placed  in 
reversed  position  when  in  right  line,  connected  by  a  ring  in 
which  there  were  anti-friction  rolls.  The  ring  was  bolted 
to  a  flange  in  the  lower  elbow,  but  allowed  the  upper  a  free 
horizontal  movement,  while  the  vertical  motion  was  obtained 
by  means  of  a  ball-and-socket  joint  in  the  outlet  of  the  top 
elbow.  The  interior  was  unobstructed  by  bolt  or  fasten- 
ings, and  the  man  at  the  pipe  could  operate  it  by  means  of 
a  lever,  without  personal  danger.  Vanes,  or  rifles,  were 
insi.  Led  in  the  discharge  pipe  to  prevent  the  rotary  move- 
ment of  the  water  caused  by  the  elbows,  and  to  force  it  to 


M  1 


94 


PLACER  MINING. 


issue  in  a    solid    stream.     These    machines    soon    became 
leaky, 

niCTATOR. 

The  '*  Hoskins  Dictator,"  the  next  step  of  the  series,  was 
a  one-jointed  machine  with  an  elastic  packing  in  the  joint, 
instead  of  two  metal  faces.  The  joint  worked  up  and  down 
on  pivots,  and  in  rotating  it  the  wheels  ran  around  against 
the  flange. 

LITTLE  GIANT. 

The  "Little  Giant."  a  subsequent  invention  of  Mr. 
Hoskins,  on  account  of  its  simplicity  and  durability,  super- 


Fici.  a«. 


seded  all  previous  machines.    (See  (^/),  Fig.  20.)    It  is  a  two- 


PLACER   MINING. 


1)5 


jointed  machine,  portable  and  easily  handled,  havinj;-  a 
knuckle  joint  and  lateral  movement.  The  (iiants  have 
rifles,  and  nozzles  from  4  to  0  inches  in  diameter,  5^  to  7-inch 
nozzles  being  commonly  used.  To  keep  Giants  from  buck- 
ing, they  must  be  firmly  bolted  to  a  heavy  piece  of  timber 
securely  braced  against  gravel  or  rock.  The  machine  and 
adjacent  length  of  pipe  must  also  be  weighted  to  the 
ground.  The  bearings  should  be  lubricated  with  tallow  or 
axle  grease. 

HYDRAULIC   GIANT. 

The  "Hydraulic  Giant"  (see(r),  Fig.  26)  is  a  modification  of 
the  Little  Giant.  The  "  Monitor,"  with  a  deflecting  nozzle, 
invented  by  H,  C.  Perkins,  is  shown  in  (/),  Fig.  26.  The 
deflecting  nozzle  /;  permits  the  direction  of  the  stream  at  any 
desired  angle.  When  the  lever  c  is  in  the  rest  d^  the 
deflecting  nozzle  b^  being  of  larger  diameter  than  the  nozzle, 
allows  the  stream  of  water  from  the  nozzle  to  pass 
through  without  obstruction.  To  move  the  pipe,  the  lever  r 
is  taken  from  the  rest  and  thrust  in  the  direction  in  which 
it  is  desired  to  throw  the  stream.  Any  movement  of  the 
lever  l\,  either  to  the  right  or  left  or  up  or  down,  throws  the 
end  of  the  nozzle  /;  into  the  stream  of  water.  The  force  of 
the  water  striking  b  causes  the  entire  machine  to  swing 
around  in  the  desired  direction.  Hoskins'  deflecting  nozzle 
Is  of  cast  iron,  the  same  size  as  the  main  nozzle,  to  which 
it  is  attached  by  a  packed  universal  joint.  The  operation 
is  similar  to  that  of  the  Monitor  deflector.  There  is 
the  disadvantage  of  a  constant  interference  with  the 
stream  of  water,  and  this  nozzle  is,  therefore,  somewhat 
dangerous. 


r  :}3 


'■    \ 


lillliMlilHBl 


i   I 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

PLACER  MINING  PRACTICE— DEVELOPMENT 
OF  GOLD-WASHING  APPARATUS. 

THE  PAX. 

The  gold  miner's  pan,  shown  in  Fig.  27,  is  pressed  from  a 
single  sheet  of  Russia  iron.     It  is  usually  about  12  inches 

in  diameter  at  the  bottom  and  3  to  4 
inches  deep,  the  sides  being  inclined  at 
an  angle  of  30  degrees  from  the  hori- 
zontal and  turned  over  a  wire  around 
Fig.  SJ7.  the  edge  to  strengthen  the  rim.     It  is 

used  in  prospecting,  cleaning  gold-bearing  sand,   collecting 
amalgam  in  the  sluices,  and  throughout  the  business  gener- 
ally.      Its   manipulation    requires    skill    and    practice.     A 
quantity  of  the  dirt    to 
be   washed  is  placed    in  .^ 
the  pan,  occupying  about 
two-thirds   of    its   capa-'^ 
city;    the    pan   with    its 
contents     is     immersed  - 
in  water  and    the    mass 
stirred,    so    that    every 
particle     may     becomr 
soaked.      When  the  dirt 
is    soaked,     the    pan    is 
taken  in  both  hands,  one 
on  each  side,  and  with- 
out allowing  it  to  entire-  F'g-  28. 
ly  emerge  from  the  water  it  is  suspended  in  the  hands,  not 


PLACER   MINING. 


97 


quite  level,  but  tippingslightly  away  from  the  operator.  In 
this  position  it  is  shaken  so  as  to  allow  the  water  to  disen- 
gage all  the  light,  earthy  particles  and  carry  them  away. 
(See  Fig.  28.)  This  done,  there  will  remain  varying  pro- 
portions of  gold  dust,  heavy  sand,  lumps  of  clay,  and 
gravel  stones;  these  last  are  thrown  out.  A  turn  of 
the  wrist  allows  the  muddy  water  to  escape  in  driblets 
over  the  depressed  edge  of  the  pan,  without  exercising 
so  much  force  as  to  send  the  lighter  portions  of  the 
gold  after  it.  At  last  nothing  remains  in  the  pan  but 
gold  dust  and  heavy  black  sand  and  earthy  matter. 
By  the  final  careful  working,  with  plenty  of  clear  water, 
the  earthy  matter  can  be  completely  removed,  but  the 
heavy  iron  sand  can  not  be  gotten  rid  of  by  any  method 
based  upon  its  specific  gravity  as  related  to  that  of  gold. 
If  this  iron  sand  be  magnetic,  the  grains  can  be  removed 
by  a  magnet.  If  there  are  fine  particles  of  pyrites  in 
the  pan,  they  can  generally  be  distinguished  from  gold  by 
their  lighter  color,  the  gold  being  commonly  a  rich  orange 
color. 

THE  BATEA. 

The  batea  is  a  modification  of  the  pan,  used  principally  in 
parts  of  Mexico  and  South  America  where  water  is  scarce. 
It  is  a  shallow,  conical  bowl,  turned  out  of  a  single  piece  of 
hard  wood,  and  is  about  20  inches  ir  diameter  by  2|  inches 
deep  in  the  center.  It  is,  on  the  whole,  a  better  instrument 
than  the  pan  for  gold  washing,  the  wood  surface  iacilitating 
the  concentration  of  the  gold. 


i  ;i  - 


:-8* . 


PUDDLING    BOX. 

The  puddling  box  is  a  wooden  box  about  6  feet  square  by 
18  inches  deep,  arranged  with  plugs  for  disch^^rging  the 
contents.     The   box  is  filled  with  water  and  gold-bearing 


Mi 


98 


PLACER   MINING. 


Fig.  29. 


clay.  By  continuous  stirring  with  a  rake,  the  clay  is 
broken  up  in  the  water  and  run  off.  The  concentrated 
material  in  the  bottom  is  subsequently  washed  in  a  pan  or 
rocker. 

THE  ROCKER. 

The  rocker  is  a  box  about  40  inches  long  by  IG  inches 
wide   and    1   foot  high,  with  one  or  two  riffles  across  the 

bottom,  and  set  on  rockers,  as 
shown  in  Fig.  29.  On  the  upper 
end  is  a  removable  hopper  18  to 
20  inches  square  and  4  inches 
deep,  with  an  iron  bottom  per- 
forated with  one-half-inch  holes. 
Beneath  the  hopper,  below  the  perforated  plate,  there  is  a 
light  frame  placed  on  an  incline  from  front  to  back,  upon 
which  a  canvas  or  carpet  apron  is  stretched.  To  use  the 
rocker,  material  is  thrown  into  the  hopper  and  water  is 
poured  on  with  a  dipper  held  in  one  hand,  while  with  the 
other  hand  the  cradle  is  kept  rocking.  The  water  washes 
the  finer  stuff  through  the  bottom  of  the  hopper,  and  the 
gold  or  amalgam  is  either  caught  on  the  apron  or  collects  in 
the  bottom  of  the  rocker,  while  the  sand  or  lighter  material 
in  the  hopper  is  thrown  aside.  Rockers  were  extensively 
used  in  placer  mining  before  the  introduction  of  sluicing. 
Now  they  are  employed  in  cleaning  up  placer  claims  and 
quartz  mills  and  for  collecting  finely  divided  particles  of 
amalgam  and  quicksilver. 

THC  TOM. 

The  "Tom  "  is  a  rough  trough  about  12  feet  long,  15  to 
20  inches  wide  at  the  upper  end  and  30  inches  wide  at  the 
lower,  and  8  inches  deep.  It  is  set  on  timbers  or  stones,  with 
an  incline  of  about  1  inch  per  foot.  A  sheet-iron  plate  or 
riddle,  perforated  with   one-half-inch  holes,  fills  the  lower 


PLACER   MINING. 


00 


end  of  the  trough,  which  is  beveled  on  the  lower  side,  as 
shown  in  Fig.  30.  The  material  coming  from  the  sluice,  on 
striking  the  riddle,  is  sorted,  the  fine  dirt  and  water  passing 
through  the  holes,  and  the  coarse  stuff  being  shoveled  off. 
Under  the  riddle  is  a  shallow  trough  with  riffles,  set  on  an 
incline,  into  which  the  finer  gravel  passes.  The  discharge 
of  the  water  through  the  plate,  with  the  occasional  aid  of 
the  shovel,  keeps  the  sand  from  packing  and  allows  the  gold 
to  settle. 

The  Tom  succeeded  the  cradle  rocker.  The  old-fashioned 
"  Long  Tom"  was  14  feet  long;  it  was  followed  by  the  "Vic- 
toria," "Jenny  Lind,"  or 
"Broad  Tom,"  6  or  7  feet  ^ 
long,  12  inches  wide  at  the 
upper  end  and  3  feet  at  the 
lower.  The  Tom  consists 
of  two  distinct  troughs  or 
boxes  placed  one  above  the 
other.     (See    Fig.    30.)     A  fig.  so. 

stream  of  water  flows  in  through  the  spout  </,  just  over  the 
place  where  the  dirt  is  introduced  into  the  upper  box,  or 
Tom  proper,  a.  The  dirt  is  thrown  in  by  one  man,  while 
the  second  constantly  stirs  it  about  with  a  square-mouthed 
shovel  or  a  fork  with  blunt  tines,  pitching  out  the  heavy 
boulders  and  tossing  back  undecomposed  lumps  of  clay 
against  the  current.  To  save  wear  and  tear,  the  floor  of  the 
Tom  is  lined  with  |-inch  sheet  iron.  The  lower  part  of  the 
Tom  is  cut  off  obliquely,  so  that  the  mouth  may  be  stopped 
by  a  sheet  of  perforated  iron,  such  as  forms  the  bottom  of 
the  cradle  riddle  already  described.  The  apparatus  being 
placed  on  an  incline,  material  gravitates  with  the  water 
toward  the  sloping  grating  at  the  mouth,  through  which 
everything  passes  save  the  large  stones,  which  gather  on  the 


f: 


TOO 


PLACER   MINING. 


grating  and  are  removed  as  often  as  necessary.  Beneath 
this  grating  stands  the  riffle  box  /;,  into  which  fine  material, 
including  gold,  descends.  The  riffle  boxes,  of  rough  plank, 
are  also  placed  on  an  incline,  just  enough  so  that  the  water 
passing  over  them  will  allow  of  the  bottom  becoming  and 
remaining  covered  with  a  thin  coating  of  fine  mud.  In  this 
way  the  gold  and  a  few  of  the  heavier  materials  find  their 
way  to  the  bottonl  and  rest  there  by  aid  of  the  riffle  bars. 
Sometimes  a  little  mercury  is  put  behind  the  riffles  to  assist 
in  retaining  the  gold,  and  the  riffle  box  is  supplemented  by 
a  series  of  blankets  for  catching  verv  fine  gold.     Toms  are 


Fig.  81. 


cleaned  up  periodically,  and  the  gold  and  amalgam  washed 
out  with  cradles.  They  are  applicable  only  to  workings 
where  the  gold  is  coarse,  as  they  lose  considerable  of  the  fine 
gold.  Two  to  four  men  work  at  one  Tom.  Fig.  31  shows 
a  Broad  Tom  in  operation. 


PLACER   MINING. 


J(U 


SLUICES. 

Sluices  were  introduced  soon  after  the  Tom.  A  sluice 
consists  of  an  inclined  channel,  through  which  flows  a  stream 
of  water,  breaking  up  the  earth  which  is  thrown  into  it, 
carrying  away  the  light  barren  matter,  and  leaving  the  gold 
and  heavy  minerals.  There  are  box  sluices  and  ground 
sluices,  the  former  being  raised  above  the  surface,  necessi- 
tating the  lifting  of  the  pay  dirt  into  them ;  the  latter  are  sunk 
below  the  surface.  Box  sluices,  or  board  sluicing,  are  long 
wooden  troughs  or  series  of  troughs.  They  vary  in  length 
from  fifty  to  several  hundred  feet,  and  are  never  less  than  1 
foot,  and  seldom  more  than  5  feet,  wide.  The  usual  width 
is  16  to  18  inches,  and  the  height  of  the  sides  8  inches  to  2 
feet.  The  sluice  is  made  in  sections  from  13  to  14  feet  long, 
of  1^-inch  rough  plank,  the  bottom  boards  sawed  tapering, 
so  that  the  narrow  end  of  one  box  telescopes  into  the  broad 
end  of  the  next  throughout  the  whole  series,  ^ud  beyond  this 
no  nailing  or  fixing  is  required.  This  line  of  trough  rests  on 
trestles,  with  usually  a  uniform  grade  throughout  the  whole 
series.  The  amount  of  descent,  or  grade,  is  from  8  inches 
to  18  inches  in  12  feet.  A  fall  of  8  inches  in  12  feet  is  an 
*' 8-inch  grade,"  etc.  It  is  important  that  the  sluice  should 
be  'conveniently  near  the  level  of  the  ground  at  the  point 
where  the  pay  dirt  is  introduced ;  this  has  an  influence  on 
the  grade,  as  has  also  the  character  of  the  pay  dirt  and  the 
length  of  the  sluice.  The  steeper  the  grade,  the  quicker  the 
dirt  is  washed  away  by  the  force  of  the  water;  the  tougher 
the  dirt,  the  steeper  must  be  the  grade,  as  tough  clay  natu- 
rally does  not  break  up  so  quickly  in  a  slow  current  as  in  a 
rapid  one.  In  short  sluices  the  grade  should  be  relatively 
light,  as  there  is  more  danger  of  the  fine  gold  being  lost  in  a 
short  sluice  than  in  a  long  one.  The  steeper  the  grade,  the 
more  work  the  sluice  can  do.  As  ordinary  pay  dirt  is  gen- 
erally completely  disintegrated   in   the  first  200  feet  of  a 


■■!• 


lOti 


PLACER    MINING. 


moderately  low-grade  sluice,  the  extra  length  is  useful  only  for 

catching  the  gold.     Sometimes,  therefore,  the  grade  of  the 

last  part  of   the  sluice  is  reduced.     When  the  grade  of   a 

sluice  is  very  low,  say  1  in  40  or  50,  the  gold  is  easily  caught, 

and  much  of  it  would  rest  even  upon  the  smooth  floor  of  the 

sluice;    but     additional    means     are,    nevertheless,    always 

adopted.  . 

When  stones  are  plentiful  in  the  wash  dirt,  a  small  bar 

may  be  placed  across  the 
lower  end  of  each  trough, 
to  prevent  the  bottom  from 
being  run  bare.  It  is  usual 
to  throw  out  stones  as  large 
^'o.  82.'  as  the  two  fists  by  a  fork 

with   several  prongs  (sluice    fork).      The    boxes  must    be 

watched,    that    they    do 

not    choke   up   and  send 

the    contents    over    the 

sides.       A   false    bottom 

is  used  in  the   sluice   to 

catch   the  gold  and  save 

wear    and    tear    on    the 

floor  proper.     Fr'.se  bot- 
toms    are     frequently 

made    of    longitudinal 

riffle  bars  0  feet  long,    3 

to  7  inches    wide,  and  2 

to   4   inches    thick,    two 

sets  for   each    length   of 

trough    or   sluice.       Fig. 

32  shows  the  arrangement 

of  the   riffle  bars   in  the 

sluice.       They    are    kept 

in  place  by  cross-wedges, 


C  2 


\ 

n      ' 

¥ 

.  I  Hiffl  !i. 

\ 

Fig.  33. 


II 
i 


PLACER   MININd. 


103 


at  a  distance  of  1  to  2  inches  apart,  and  are  not  nailed,  as 
they  have  to  be  removed  at  each  cleaning  up.  Into  the 
spaces  thus  formed,  the  gold  and  other  heavy  bodies  will 
fall,  always  sinking  through  the  lighter  particles  to  the 
bottom.  Where  there  is  a  great  quantity  of  pebbles  and 
boulders,  and  the  pay  dirt  riffles  describeJ  are  worn  away 
rapidly,  block  riffles  are  used,  which  last  much  longer.  In- 
stead of  being  iawed  with  the  grain  of  the  wood,  they  are 
cut  across  the  grain,  so  that  the  fibers  stand  upright  in  the 
si  nice-box  as  in  the  live  tree.  They  are  fixed  transversely 
two  inches  apart,  as  shown  in  Fig.  33.  Cobblestone  and 
squared-stone  riffles  are  also  commonly  used  in  such  cases. 

^    DERRICKS. 

Strong  derricks  are  used  in  hydraulic  mining  to  remove 
heavy  boulders.  The  style  most  in  use  at  present  is  a  mast 
100  feet  high  set  in  a  cast-iron  box  placed  on  sills,  and  hav- 


FIG.  M. 


ing  a  boom  92  feet  long.     The  mast  is  held  in  position  by 


i 


;  i 


11 


I  p- 


104 


PLACER    MINING. 


galvanized-iron  wire-rope  guys  one  inch  in  diameter.  A 
whip-block  with  f-inch  steel  rope  is  used  for  hoisting  tackle. 
A  12-foot  diameter  hurdy-gurdy  wheel  furnishes  the  power. 
Stones  weighing  10  and  11  tons  are  handled.  The  guys  are 
held  by  double  capstans,  allowing  the  derrick  to  be  moved 
without  dismantling, 

WATER-W^HEELS. 

"  Hurdy-gurdy,"  or  some  other  form  of  ''impact"  wheels 
moved  by  a  stream  or  jet  of  water  issuing  under  pressure 
from  a  concealed  nozzle,  and  striking  open  buckets  on  the 
circumference  of  the  wheel,  furnish  the  power  used  in  oper- 
ating derricks  and  dynamos  about  placer  mines.  The  Pel- 
ton  wheel,  Fig.  34,  is  the  form  most  commonly  used  at  pres- 
ent.    These  wheels  are  always  housed.  .  v  -    j- 


r.     A 

acklc. 
)ower. 
ys  are 
noved 


wheels 
essure 
jn  the 
1  oper- 
le  Pel- 
t  pres- 


•  CHAPTER  XV. 

PLACER    MINING    PRACTICE— BLASTING    AND 

TUNNELING;    SLUICES,   UNDERCURRENTS, 

ETC.;  TAILINGS  AND  DUMP. 

BLASTIIVG   GRAVEL  BANKS. 

Where  the  deposits  are  very  strongly  cemented,  blasting  is 
necessary  before  the  material  can  be  treated.  Blasting  in 
placer  mining  is  done  on  a  very  large  scale.  The  usual 
method  is  as  follows :  The  drift  is  run  in  from  the  bottom 
of  the  deposit  a  distance  proportionate  to  the  height  of  the 
bank  (as  a  general  rule  not  over  three-fourths  of  the  height 
fo:  high  banks),  and  the  character  of  the  ground  to  be  moved. 
From  the  end  of  this  main  drift,  the  cross  drift  is  carried  each 
way,  forming  a  T.  The  cross  drifts  are  charged  with  kegs 
of  powder,  the  main  drift  tamped  by  filling  it  up  solid  with 
dirt  and  rock,  and  the  powder  is  exploded  by  a  time  fuse,  or 
an  electric  battery.  When  the  ground  is  very  heavy,  several 
cross  drifts  may  be  used.  Just  sufficient  powder  is  used  to 
thoroughly  shatter  the  ground. 

METHOI3   OF  BLASTING. 

After  the  loose  top  gravel  has  been  washed  off,  the  bot- 
tom cement  is  blasted,  the  object  of  blasting  being  to  com- 
pletely loosen  the  material.  Hard  cement  requires  quick 
powder,  like  Judson  powder.  In  softer  cement,  black  pow- 
der, as  a  lifter,  is  all  that  is  required.  In  very  high  banks, 
it  is  best  to  blow  out  the  bottom  rather  than  to  attempt  to 
raise  the  superincumbent  mass.  The  charge  should  then  be 
placed  so  that  the  line  of  least  resistance  is  horizontal. 

In  banks  50  to  150  feet  high,  of  ordinary  cement  gravel, 


^^1: 


iii> 


r" 


lOG 


PLACER   MINING. 


the  following  method  is  recommended  by  Bowie:  The 
main  drift  should  be  run  in  a  distance  of  two-thirds  the 
height  of  the  bank  to  be  blasted.  The  cross  drifts  from  the 
end  of  the  main  drift  should  be  run  parallel  with  the  face  of 
the  bank,  and  their  lengths  determined  by  the  extent  of  the 
ground  to  be  moved.  A  single  T  is  usually  all  that  is  neces- 
sary. The  powder  required  is  from  10  to  20  pounds  to  1,000 
cubic  feet  of  ground  to  be  loosened. 

In    firing  by   electricity    great    care    should    be  taken  of 
wires   while   tamping,   and  where   dynamite-exploders  with 

platinum    wires    are    used 


tl^^€*3^ 


to<%j<  K><to<t  o<^ 


KiG.  35. 


the  f^ompound  circuit  is 
desiidble.  In  charging 
the  drifts,  the  powder,  in 
boxes  or  kegs,  is  piled  in 
rows.  Two  wires  a  a  and 
d  d  (Fig.  35)  run  along 
the  middle  row,  the  tops 
of  the  boxes  on  which  the 
wires  rest  being  removed.  The  exploders  b,  b,  b  are  inserted 
in  giant  cartridges  and  placed  on  top  of  the  paper  covering 
the  powder. 

•  TAMPING. 

Great  care  should  be  used  to  prevent  the  blowing  out  of 
the  tamping.  It  is  advisable  when  firing  blasts  by  fuse  to 
tamp  nearly  the  entire  main  drift.  The  gravel  extracted 
from  the  drifts  is  used  for  this  purpose,  and  should  be  fairly 
dry  and  free  from  large  stones.  The  tamping  should 
be  firmly  rammed  with  wooden  mauls,  so  that  it  will  not 
settle.  In  order  to  prevent  misfires,  it  is  customary  to 
lay  two  or  three  lines  of  fuse,  which  are  simultaneously 
ignited. 


PLACER    MINING. 


107 


TUNNELS. 

Tunnels  are  run  to  open  gra\el  claims  and  also  to  pro- 
vide proper  facilities  for  removing  wash  material.  A  tun- 
nel should  be  driven  well  into  the  channel  before  connecting 
with  the  surface. 

SHAFTS. 

Shafts  connecting  with  tunnels  are  usually  vertical,  and 
3  feet  by  3  feet  to  4^  by  9  feet  in  the  clear.  It  is  sometimes 
convenient  to  have  the  shaft  located  at  one  side  and  con- 
nected with  the  tunnel  by  a  short  drift.  Where  the  shaft  is 
in  bard  rock  no  timbering  is  necessary,  but  in  loose  soil  the 
shaft  should  be  closely  lagged  and  lined  on  the  inside  with 
blocks  6  to  10  inches  thick,  to  within  10  to  30  feet  of  the 
surface.  In  long  tunnels,  a  second  shaft  is  advisable  as  a 
measure  of  safety. 

LOCATION. 

In  locating  the  mouth  of  a  tunnel,  a  point  should  be  se- 
lected from  which  the  sluices  running  in  the  most  practic- 
able line  with  a  given  grade  can  bottom  the  maximum  ex- 
tent of  the  pay  channel  at  the  least  expense. 

SLUICES. 

The  name  "sluice"  was  originally  applied  to  the  miner's 
sluice-box.  Subsequently  several  sluice-boxes  were  joined 
together  for  permanent  use,  and  "sluice"  and  "  flume"  be- 
came synonymous.  For  the  purpose  oi"  distinction,  the 
name  "sluice"  is  here  applied  to  drifts,  cuts,  or  boxes  through 
which  the  gravel  is  washed,  while  "flume"  is  used  solely  in 
reference  to  open  wooden  water  conduits. 

Sluices  should  be  set  in  straight  lines,  and  when  curves 
occur  the  outer  side  of  the  box  should  be  slightly  raised,  to 
cause  a  more  even  distribution  of  the  material  over  the 
riffles.      Sluices  with  drops  are  effective   for  saving  gold. 


i  I 
^1 


108 


PLACER   MINING. 


ii 


II  i 


2 

* 


As  the  facility  with  which  gravel  can  be  moved  depends 
upon  the  inclination  given  to  the  sluice,  grade  is  very  im- 
portant. Where  the  washis  coarse  and  cemented  and  there 
is  much  pipe-clay,  a  heavy  grade  is  necessary ;  strongly 
cemented  gravel  needs  drops  to  break  it  up.  A  common 
grade  is  G  inches  to  a  box  12  feet  long,  approximately  a 
4  per  cent,  grade.  If  too  much  water  is  used,  the  sand 
packs  the  riffles.  The  best  results  are  obtained  on  light 
grades,  with  shallow  streams.  Coarse  gravei  demands  4  to 
7  per  cent,  grade  and  an  increase  of  water.  The  water  in 
the  sluice  should  be  10  to  12  inches  deep,  covering  the 
largest  boulders.  The  size  of  the  sluice  depends  upon  the 
grade,  character  of  gravel,  and  quantity  of  water.  A  sluice 
6  feet  wide,  36  inches  deep,  on  a  4  or  5  per  cent,  grade, 
suffices  for  running  2,000  to  3,000  inches  of  water.  One 
4  feet  wide  and  30  inches  deep,  on  a  grade  of  4  inches  to 
16  feet,  suffices  for  800  to  1,500  inches  of  water,  and  on  a 
4  per  cent,  grade  it  is  large  enough  for  2,000  inches.  As  to 
length,  the  line  should  be  sufficiently  long  to  ensure  com- 
plete disintegration  of  the  material  and  allow  all  the  gold 
practicable  to  settle  in  the  riffles.  The  longer  the  sluice  the 
greater  the  amount  of  gold  saved;  hence,  the  sluice  is 
indefinitely  extended  so  long  as  increased  yield  exceeds  the 
additional  expense. 

Sluices  4  feet  wide  are  made  of  1^-inch  plank,  with  sills 
and  posts  of  4  by  6  inch  scantling.  The  bottom  should  be 
tight  to  avoid  losing  quicksilver,  of  half-seasoned  lumber, 
free  from  knots,  with  the  joints  carefully  sawed  and  grooved 
for  the  reception  of  a  soft-pine  tongue,  which  is  inserted 
between  the  ends  of  the  planks.  Bottom  and  sides  are 
spiked  together,  with  nails  4  inches  apart.  Sills  are  placed 
3  to  4  inches  apart,  a  4-foot  sluice  requiring  a  sill  7  feet  long 
of  4  by  6  inch  stuff.     Posts  are  halved  into  the  sills  and 


PLACER    MINING. 


100 


firmly  .spiked,  and  every  second  or  third  post  is  supported  by 
an  angle  brace.  Bottom  planks  are  secured  to  the  sills 
by  heavy  spikes.  Sluices  should  be  weighted  down  heavily 
by  loading  the  ends  of  the  sills  with  stones.  Fig.  33  illus- 
trates a  good  construction.  Each  box  is  0  feet  wide,  1'^  feet 
long,  and  32  inches  deep  over  all.     To  each  box  are  used : 

8  posts,  4  in.  X  0  in.  X  3  ft.  2  in. 

4  sills,  4  in.  X  G  in.  x  8  ft. 

3  bottom  planks,  2  in.  X  24  in.  x  12  ft. 

4  side  planks,  1^  in.  x  16  in.  X  12  ft. 
2  top  rails,  2  in.  X  8  in.  X  12  ft. 

IG  braces,  2  in.  X  4  in.  X  2  ft. 

This  is  on  the  inside  of  the  tunnel.  On  the  outside  of  the 
tunnel,  sills  and  braces  are  longer.  The  nails  for  the  bottom 
are  30  penny,  and  for  the  sides  20  penny.  The  side  lining, 
of  worn  blocks,  is  3  inches  thick,  18  to  20  inches  deep, 
and  is  set  2\  to  3|  inches  above  the  bottom.  The  riffle 
strips  between  blocks  are  1^  inches  thick  by  3  inches  wide 
and  5  feet  11  inches  long.  The  blocks  are  13  inches  deep 
and  20|-  inches  square.  Where  stone  riffles  are  used,  the 
bottom  of  the  sluice  is  lined  with  rough  plank.  The  top 
sluice  on  one  side  is  for  carrying  surface  water  when  the 
blocks  are  being  set.  It  is  13  inches  wide  and  4  inches  deep, 
made  of  1^-inch  plank. 


:i; 


RIFFLKS. 

Riffles  are  of  various  forms.  In  primitive  mining,  blankets, 
sods,  hides  with  the  hair  side  up,  and  niches  cut  in  the  bed- 
rock were  used.  Then  came  longitudinal  strips,  and  finally 
block  and  rock;  riffles,  which  are  no,,  universally  used.  The 
character  of  the  riffle  used  depends  upon  the  length  of  the 
sluice,  which  in  turn  depends  upon  the  tenacity  of  the  ma- 
terial and  the  character  of  the  gold,  scale  gold  with  large 


I     ■ 


110 


PLACER    MINING. 


amounts  of  black  sand  and  fine  pyrites  escaping  all  riffles 
for  long  distances. 

BLOCK  RIFFLES. 

Block  riffles  are  wooden  blocks  8  to  13  inches  deep,  set  on 
end,  in  rows  across  the  sluice,  each  row  separated  by  a  space 
of  1  to  1^  inches.  They  are  kept  in  position  by  riffle  strips 
1  to  1^  inches  thick  by  2  to  3  inches  wide,  held  between  the 
rows  by  the  side  lining  and  secured  to  the  blocks  by  headless 
nails.  Block  riffles  are  also  set  and  held  firmly  in  position 
by  soft-pine  wedges  driven  between  the  blocks  and  the  sides 
of  the  sluice,  the  sides  or  the  adjacent  faces  of  the  blocks 
being  squared.  Side  lining  is  necessary  in  all  sluices.  For 
handling  cemented  gravel  the  sides  of  the  sluice  should  be 
lined  with  blocks  3  inches  thick  to  a  depth  of  18  or  20  inches. 
Square  block  riffles  are  the  best  for  saving  gold,  though  sec- 
tions of  wood  are  frequently  used  just  as  they  are  sawn  from 
the  log.  Rocks  are  the  next  most  economical  substitute,  but 
sluices  set  with  them  require  steeper  grades  and  more  water. 

The  life  of  a  block  depends  upon  the  quality  of  the  wood, 
the  grade,  the  character,  and  quantity  of  the  gravel,  and 
the  amount  of  v/ater.  The  larger  the  amount  of  water  on 
the  same  grade  in  proportion  to  that  of  gravel,  the  less  the 
wear  and  tear  on  the  block.  Soft,  long-grained  wood  which 
"brooms  up"  makes  the  best  riffles.  Pitch  pine  answers 
well.  After  each  run  the  blocks  are  turned  and  replaced  in 
the  sluice,  if  not  worn  down  too  much.  In  repaving  with 
old  blocks,  the  edge  worn  down  the  most  is  placed  up-stream. 
As  the  blocks  do  not  fill  the  whole  width  of  the  sluice,  the 
alternate  rows  are  fitted  so  as  to  break  joints. 

ROCK  RIFFLES. 

Where  heavy,  strong  cement  is  washed,  stone  riffles  are 
advantageous.  As  quarried,  the  rocks  are  of  irregular 
shape  and  size,  and  are  set  in  the  sluice  with  a  slight  tilt 


PLACER   MINING. 


Ill 


down  stream.  They  are  cheap  and  wear  well,  but  have  the 
disadvantage  of  being  more  awkward  and  costly  to  handle, 
requiring  a  longer  time  to  clean  up  and  repave  the  sluice. 

A  system  of  riffles,  consisting  of  a  row  of  blocks  alter- 
nating with  an  equal  section  of  rocks,  works  well,  reducing 
the  wear  on  the  blocks,  but  it  is  not  desirable  for  riffles 
which  have  to  be  frequently  cleaned  up.  Longitudinal 
riffles,  made  of  scantling  placed  lengthwise  in  the  sluices, 
are  sometimes  used.  Again,  in  some  mines  a  portion  of  the 
line  may  be  without  a  box  sluice,  the  bed-rock  being  used. 

BRANCH  SI.UICBS. 

Branch  sluices  may  be  necessary  where  a  light  dump 
requires  frequent  changes  of  the  tailings  discharge,  or  the 
topography  of  the  claim  is  such  that  a  single  sluice  can  not 
reach  all  the  pay  dirt. 

Care  is  necessary  in  turning  into  or  turning  out  from 
a  sluice,  lest  a  gravel  bar  form  either  above  or  below  the 
junction.  The  turn-out  sluice  is  used  when  the  dump  room 
is  limited;  the  turn-in  sluice,  when  branch  sluices  are  neces- 
sary to  cover  the  whole  pay  area,  two  or  more  branch 
sluiv^es  emptying  into  one  main  sluice. 

UNDERCURREIVTS. 

Undercurrents  are  introduced  into  a  sluice  line  for  the 
purpose  of  saving  fine  gold.  They  are  broad  sluices  set  on 
a  heavy  grade  below  and  to  one  side  of  the  main  sluice. 
Where  a  drop-off  can  be  made  in  the  sluice,  a  "grizzly," 
made  up  of  1-in.  X  4-in.  iron  bars,  10  to  20  in  number,  set 
edgewise,  1  inch  apart,  is  let  into  the  bottom  of  the  sluice. 
It  is  set  1  inch  below  the  sluice  pavement,  which  is  raised 
as  it  wears  down.  If  too  low,  the  grizzly  is  apt  to  clog. 
Coarse  material  passes  over  the  grizzly,  and,  if  the  topog- 
raphy permits,  is  dropped  and  picked  up  again  in  sluices  at 


m 


'1: 

ii' 


312 


PLACER    MINING. 


a  lower  level.  The  finer  stuff  passes  through  the  bars  into 
a  box  about  20  inches  deep,  set  at  right  angles  to  the  main 
line  and  lined  with  blocks  or  stones.  From  here  the  material 
passes  into  the  distributing  box  or  chute  of  the  undercurrent, 
as  shown  in  Fig.  30.  This  chute  is  lined  with  cobbles,  and 
provided  with  dividers  of  wood  to  evenly  distribute  the  mate- 


Plan 


FlO.  30. 

rial  over  the  surface  of  the  undercurrent.  It  has  a  light  grade 
and  narrows  slightly  towards  the  lower  end.  The  undercur- 
rent proper  is  a  shallow  wooden  box  20  to  50  feet  wide  and  40 
to  50  feet  long,  with  sides  about  l(i  inches  high.  It  should  be 
about  eight  to  ten  times  the  width  of  the  main  sluice.  The 
bottom  is  made  of  1^-inch  plank,  tongued  and  grooved  and 


PLACER    MINING. 


113 


aterial 
rrent, 

!S,  and 
mate- 


set  on  a  grade  of  8  to  10  per  cent.,  according  to  the  smooth- 
ness of  the  riffles  employed.  It  may  be  paved  with  cobbles, 
wooden  rails  shod  with  strap  iron,  or  small  wooden  blocks. 
With  the  smooth  riffles  a  grade  of  I'i  inches  in  12  feet  is 
plenty,  but  with  blocks  the  grade  should  be  increased  to 
14  inches  in  12  feet,  and  with  cobbles  to  Ki  inches.  The 
tailings  from  the  undercurrent  are  led  back  into  the  main 
sluice.  At  French  Corrall,  with  a  tailing  sluice  5  feet  wide, 
the  yield  of  the  first  undercurrent,  which  was  20  feet  in 
width,  was  20  per  cent,  of  the  total  yield  of  the  undercur- 
rents; an  addition  of  10  feet  to  the  width  increased  its  yield 
27  per  cent,  of  the  total,  without  changing  the  grizzly  in 
the  main  sluice. 

TAILINGS. 

The  refuse  from  any  form  of  mining,  after  the  extraction 
of  the  gold,  is  called  "tailings."  Placer  refuse  is  also  known 
as  debris.  Tailings  from  mills  consist  of  pulverized  quartz 
or  other  gangue  matter.  Refuse  from  gravel  workings  is  of 
all  sorts  and  sizes  of  material.  The  light  particles  of  soil, 
loam,  and  sand  are  easily  carried  forwards  by  running  water, 
while  the  rocks  and  boulders,  though  readily  transported 
through  the  sluices,  lodge  and  distribute  themselves  when 
discharged  therefrom  into  the  creeks  and  streams,  in  accord- 
ance with  their  size,  shape,  and  specific  gravity,  and  for 
their  removal  time  and  flood  are  necessary. 


THE  DUMP. 

One  of  the  requisites  for  a  large  placer  enterprise  is  a 
good  dumping  ground.  As  thousands  of  tons  of  material 
are  being  treated  daily,  and  only  a  very  small  portion  of  this 
is  saved,  some  place  must  be  provided  at  a  lower  level  for 
the  storage  of  the  waste  material.     A  much  larger  space  is 


I 


114 


PLACER    MINING. 


necessary  for  this  purpose  than  was  originally  occupied  by 
the  excavated  material.  The  lack  of  dump  room  is  remedied 
only  in  exceptional  cases  by  discharging  the  waste  into  a 
current  or  torrent.  This  may  occur  where  the  gold  placers 
are  on  the  borders  of  large,  rapid,  well-confined  streams, 
but  in  the  mountains,  where  the  majority  of  gold  deposits 
occur,  the  rivers  are  narrow  and  shallow. 


CHAPTKR  XVI. 

PLACER  MI\I\G  PR ACTICi:— WASHING  OR 

HYDRAH.ICKING. 

CHAUGING  THK  SI.V1ICKS. 

The  tunnel  and  sluices  being  finished  and  everything  in 
readiness,  water  is  turned  into  the  pipes.  The  sluices  are 
run  for  a  day  in  order  to  pack  them ;  the  water  is  then  shut 
off  and  a  charge  of  quicksilver  is  put  into  the  upper  200  or 
300  feet  of  the  sluices  and  a  small  quantity  distributed  along 
the  entire  line  with  the  exception  of  the  last  400  feet.  In  a 
6-foot  sluice  the  first  charge  should  be  about  3  flasks.  The 
undercurrents  are  charged  at  the  same  time,  and  a  little 
quicksilver  put  into  the  tail  sluice.  Quicksilver  is  added 
daily  during  the  run,  in  gradually  lessening  quantities,  the 
object  being  to  keep  the  mercury  uncovered  and  clean  at 
the  top  of  the  riffles;  therefore,  the  charge  is  regulated  by 
the  amount  exposed  to  view.  A  24-foot  undercurrent  re- 
quires 80  to  88  pounds  of  quicksilver. 

In  charging  the  riffles,  the  quicksilver  should  not  be 
sprinkled  or  splashed,  as  particles  of  mercury  are  readily 
carried  off  by  the  swift  stream,  while  the  very  fine  portions 
will  even  float  in  still  water.  Top  water  from  mining  sluices 
often  yields  minute  particles  of  quicksilver. 


CAVIXG  BANKS. 

The  first  work  is  started  near  the  head  of  the  sluice.  As 
the  bank  recedes,  the  bed-rock  cuts  are  carried  along  with 
it  and  the  sluice  advanced.  In  order  to  cave  a  bank,  two 
streams  of  water  are  usually  delivered  against  its  base  at  an 


110 


PLACER    MlXIN(r. 


allele  with  each  other,  as  in  Fi}^.  ;!7.  This  great  mass  of 
water,  discharged  against  the  bank  with  a  force  of  150  to 
200  pounds  per  square  inch,  rajjidly  undermines  it,  the  bank 
crumbles  away,  and  the  rush  of  water  carries  the  debris  into 


Fin.  37. 

the  sluices.  If  the  dirt  caves  rapidly,  one  pipe  may  be  used 
for  cutting,  while  with  the  stream  from  the  other,  the  fall- 
ing gravel  is  washed  into  the  ground  sluices.  The  face  of 
the  bank  should  be  kept  square;  advantage  should  be  taken 
of  such  corners  as  are  left,  and  under  all  circumstances  a 
"horseshoe"  form  should  be  avoided.  When  the  cut  is 
rapidly  pushed  ahead  and  the  work  not  squared,  the  men  at 
the  pipes  are  encircled  by  high  walls,  and  their  lives  are  in 


ass  of 

I  oO  to 

bank 

IS  into 


PLACER    MINTNCi. 


117 


danger.  Where  banks  exeeed  150  feet  in  height,  the  deposit 
should  be  worked  in  two  benches.  When  the  men  at  the 
pipe  see  the  bank  is  about  to  cave,  the  water  should  be  im- 
mediately turned  away,  for  if  the  cave  falls  on  the  water  in 
the  ground  cut,  a  rush  of  debris  follows,  and  the  men  at  the 
pipe  have  to  run  for  their  lives.  Caves  are  usually  made 
towards  evening.  Locomotive  reflectors  or  bonfires  illumi- 
nate the  banks  at  night;  electric  lights  are  also  largely  used 
around  the  larger  placer  mines.  The  washing  should  be 
continuous,  and  no  water  allowed  to  run  to  waste;  therefore, 
it  is  desirable  to  have  .several  faces  or  openings,  so  that  the 
stream  may  be  diverted  from  one  to  the  other  while  cuts  are 
being  advanced  and  sluices  lengthened.  These  cuts,  or 
ground  sluices,  are  trenches  made  in  bed-jock  near  the  face 
of  the  bank  to  collect  the  water  and  material  and  convey 
them  to  the  sluices.  Sometimes  they  are  00  to  70  feet  deep. 
As  a  precaution  against  theft,  where  claims  are  worked 
intermittently,  sluices  are  run  full  of  gravel  before  closing 

down, 

CLCAXiivG  ur». 

The  length  of  a  run  depends  largely  upon  the  wear  of  the 
pavement.  Some  claims  are  cleaned  up  every  20  days,  others 
every  two  or  three  months,  and  a  few  only  once  a  season. 
All  pavements  should  be  cleaned  up  as  soon  as  they  begin 
to  wear  in  grooves.  Where  a  large  quantity  of  gravel  is 
washed,  it  is  advisable  to  clean  up  the  first  1,000  or  2,000 
feet  of  the  sluice  about  every  two  weeks.  The  tail  sluicts 
are  cleaned  up  only  once  a  year.  Undercurrents  should  be 
cleaned  up  whenever  quicksilver  is  found  spread  over  their 
lower  riffles,  with  a  tendency  to  discharge  over  thetr  ends. 

When  it  is  decided  to  clean  up,  the  bed-rock  and  ground 
sluices  are  washed  clean.  No  material  is  turned  into  the 
sluices,  clear  water  alone  being  run  in  until  the  sluices  are 


i 


118 


PLACER   MINING. 


free  from  dirt.  A  small  quantity  of  water,  in  which  a  man 
can  conveniently  work,  is  then  turned  through  the  sluice, 
and  the  blocks  are  taken  out  by  crowbars,  washed  clean  of 
amalgam,  and  laid  alongside  the  sluice.  This  is  done  in 
sections  of  100  feet.  One  row  of  blocks  is  left  in  the  sluice 
between  each  section ;  these  rows  serve  as  riffles  to  prevent 
the  gold  and  quicksilver  passing  down  the  sluice.  After  the 
first  section  of  blocks  is  taken  up,  the  men  follow  the  gravel 
and  dirt  as  it  is  slowly  washed  down  the  sluices  and  pick  up 
the  quicksilver  and  amalgam  with  iron  scoops  and  deposit  it 
in  sheet-iron  buckets.  As  each  riffle  is  reached,  the  amalgam 
and  quicksilver  are  collected,  the  block  riffles  removed  and 
the  residue  washed  down  to  the  next  riffle,  and  so  on  down 
the  entire  line  of  sluice.  When  this  operation  is  finished, 
the  water  is  turned  off  entirely,  and  workmen  go  over  the 
sluices  with  small  silver  spoons,  digging  the  amalgam  out  of 
nail  holes  and  cracks.  After  this,  the  side  lagging  is  over- 
hauled, and  the  blocks  are  then  replaced.  Very  long  sluices 
are  usually  lined  in  the  lower  portion  with  heavy  rock  riffles, 
which  can  be  used  for  longer  periods  without  cleaning  up. 
It  is  customary,  where  mines  are  run  night  and  day,  to  clean 
up  as  long  a  section  as  possible  during  the  day,  and  to  replace 
the  lining  and  resume  washing  at  night,  proceeding  thus  till 
the  whole  is  cleaned  up. 

AMALGAMATION. 

Though  heavy  gold  may  be  arrested  by  the  various  con- 
trivances  described,  much  fine  gold  would  escape  in  the 
absence  of  mercury  or  quicksilver.  If  this  is  present,  how- 
ever, it  instantly  seizes  and  amalgamates  any  gold  coming 
in  contact  with  it.  When  using  zigzag  riffles,  a  vessel  con- 
taining quicksilver  and  pierced  by  a  small  hole  which  allows 
the  metal  to  escape  drop  by  drop  is  placed  near  the  head  of 
the  sluice.       Trickling  down    from  riffle   to  riffle,    it  over- 


PLACER   MINING. 


1 1  i) 


takes  the  gold,  absorbs,  and  retains  it,  the  amalgam  thus 
formed  being  caught  in  the  longitudinal  or  block  riffles 
farther  down.  In  longitudinal  riffle  sluices,  after  starting 
the  washing,  some  of  the  mercury  poured  in  at  the  head  of 
the  sluice  finds  its  way  down  with  the  current,  but  the  larger 
portion  remains  in  the  upper  boxes.  Smaller  quantities  are 
introduced  at  intervals  lower  down,  the  quantity  being 
increased  in  direct  proportion  to  the  amount  of  fine  gold 
present.  Another  plan  is  to  impregnate  with  mercury  the 
pores  of  the  wood  forming  the  riffle  bars  by  driving  a  piece 
of  gas  pipe,  ground  thin  at  one  end,  into  the  wood  and  fill- 
ing it  up  with  quicksilver.  The  pressure  of  the  column 
forces  a  certain  amount  into  the  fibers  of  the  wood.  This 
catches  the  gold,  and  the  resulting  amalgam  needs  only  to 
be  scraped  off  the  surface  of  the  wood. 

A  fourth  device,  for  use  where  there  is  very  much  fine 
gold,  is  the  amalgamated  copper  plate.  This  usually  meas- 
ures 3  feet  wide  by  6  feet  long.  Sometimes  the  stream  is 
split  and  carried  over  two  or  three  separate  plates.  The 
plate  is  placed  nearly  level  and  at  a  considerable  distance  from 
the  head  of  the  sluice,  as  it  is  intended  to  catch  only  the  fine 
float  gold,  and  for  this  reason,  also,  a  sheet-iron  screen,  per- 
forated with  holes  ^  inch  by  -^  inch,  is  placed  in  front  of  it, 
so  that  only  the  finest  particles  pass  over  it.  It  is  amalga- 
mated by  first  cleaning  its  upper  surface  with  weak  nitric 
acid  and  then  applying  some  mercury,  which  has  been  treated 
with  dilute  nitric  acid  to  form  a  little  nitrate  of  mercury. 
The  current  must  be  slow  and  shallow,  so  t!  t  every  particle 
of  gold  may  come  in  contact  with  the  face  of  the  plate.  A 
freshly  amalgamated  plate  may  become  coated  with  a  green 
slime  of  subsalts  of  copper;  this  must  be  carefully  scraped 
off  and  the  plate  rubbed  with  fresh  mercury.  To  remove  the 
amalgam,  the  plate  is   taken  up   and  gently  heated,  and  it 


.  Is 


■: 


120 


PLACER   MINING. 


I    I 


may  then  be  easily  scraped  off.  The  plate  is  allowed  to  cool 
and  again  rubbed  with  a  little  mercury.  The  plate  shojild 
not  be  less  than  -^  inch  thick. 

AMALGAM  KETTLES. 

Amalgam  kettles  are  ordinary  sheet-iron  buckets  or  p  "c 
lain  kettles.     In  cleaning  up  they  are  used  as  receptacle.,  loi 
floating  the  gold  amalgam,   which   is  floated  in  quicksilver 
to   free   it   from   barren   substances   before   straining   and 
retorting. 

CLEANING    TilE  AMALGAM. 

The  quicksilver  and  amalgam  obtained  in  cleaning  up  are 
well  stirred  in  buckets,  and  the  coarse  sand,  nails,  and  other 
foreign  substances  which  floL  >  to  the  surface  are  skimmed 
off.  This  residue,  which  retains  considerable  amalgam,  is 
concentrated  by  working  in  pans  or  rockers,  and  the  con- 
centrates are  ground  in  iron  mortars  with  some  clean  quick- 
silver. Any  base  material  floating  to  the  surface  of  the  bath 
is  melted  separately  to  a  base  bullion ;  the  remainder  is  added 
to  the  fine  amalgam.  The  quicksilver  is  strained  from  the 
amalgam  through  carivas  or  drilling,  and  the  dry  amalgam 
is  treated  in  iron  retorts. 

RETORTING. 

When  the  amount  of  amalgam  to  be  treated  is  small,  the 
hand  retort  answers  all  requirements;  but  at  large  gravel 
mines,  stationary  cast-iron  retorts  are  used.  When  large 
quantities  of  amalgam  are  retorted  and  the  furnaC'  s  eft  un- 
attended, a  retort  which  is  set  immediately  above  the  fire  is 
apt  to  become  overheated.  The  weight  of  the  luetal  inside 
of  the  retort  then  causes  it  to  '*  belly,  "ruii  ing  it  ctrpletely. 
To  prevent  this,  the  retort  should  be  supported  at  several 
points  and  arranged  with  the  fire  to  one  side,  so  that  the 
heat  may  be  evenly  distributed  over  it.      (See  Fig.   38.) 


PLACER    MINING. 


121 


cool 
1041  Id 


Before  putting  the  amalgam  into  the  retort,  the  latter 
should  be  coated  on  the  inside  with  a  thin  sheet  of  clay, 
which  prevents  the  amalgam  from  adhering  to  the  iron. 
The  amalgam  should  then  be  carefully  introduced  and 
spread  evenly.  The  pipe  connecting  the  back  of  the  retort 
with  the  condenser  must  be  cleared  of  all  obstructions,  and 
the  amalgam  should  be  so  spread  that  by  no  possible  mis- 
chance can  this  pipe  become  choked,  as  an  explosion  would 
probably  result,  filling  the  retorting  room  with  the  poisonous 


FIG.  38. 


tumes  of  mercury  and  greatly  'endangering  its  occupants 
To  avoid  danger,  the  heating  should  be  very  slow  at  first. 
After  the  cover  has  been  put  on  with  a  luting  of  clay  or  a 
mixture  of  clay  and  wood  ashes  and  securely  clamped,  the 
li'e  is  lighted  and  the  heat  gradually  raised,  a  dark  red  heat 
being  all  that  is  necessary  to  volatilize  the  quicksilver. 
Towards  the  end  of  the  operation,  the  heat  is  raised  to  a 
cheny  red,  until  distillation  ceases.  The  retort  is  then 
allowed  to  cool,  and,  when  cold,  is  opened.  During  the 
operation,  the  condensing  coil  at  the  back  of  the  retort 
should  be  kept  cool  by  a  continuous  supply  of  fresh  water 
entering  from  the  lower  end  of  the  box  which  contains  it, 
while  the  discharge  of  warm  water  is  effected  above      The 


122 


PLACER   MINING. 


retort  bullion  is  cut  or  broken  into  pieces  and  melted  in  a 
well-annealed  black  lead  crucible,  and  the  gold  cast  into 
bars. 

Dl.-  ?UTION   OF  GOLD   IN   SLUICES. 

In  sluicing,  tj.>  reater  part  (usually  about  80  per  cent.) 
of  the  gold  caught  is  found  in  the  first  200  feet.  For  ex- 
ample, of  a  claim  yielding  1(53,000  on  a  hundred  days'  run, 
$54,000  was  obtained  in  the  first  150  feet,  and  $3,000  from 
the  undercurrents.  The  first  undercurrent,  790  feet  from 
the  head  of  the  sluice,  yielded  50  per  cent,  of  the  total 
amount  taken  from  the  undercurrents.  The  second  under- 
current, 78  feet  distant  below  the  fir.st,  with  a  drop  of  40 
feet  between  them,  contained  33  per  cent,  of  the  gross 
undercurrent  yield.  The  last  undercurrent  was  08  feet  from 
the  second,  with  a  drop  of  50  feet  between  them;  its  yield 
was  about  $500.  Sometimes  about  a  hundred  feet  at  the 
head  of  the  sluice  is  covered  with  gravel  during  the  greater 
part  of  a  run ;  in  such  cases,  the  gold  is  found  farther  down. 

LOSS  OF   MERCURY. 

A  certain  loss  of  quicksilver  is  unavoidable  in  placer 
mining,  the  ianount  depending  on  the  grade,  length,  and 
condition  of  the  sluices,  the  character  of  the  material  washed, 
the  amount  of  water  used,  and  the  length  of  the  run.  The 
loss  may  be  reduced  by  lengthening  the  sluice  line,  keeping 
joints  tight,  and  careful  cleaning  and  chinking.  On  large 
enterprises  it  is  usually  in  the  vicinity  of  one  pound  of 
mercury  for  every  $100  worth  of  gold  recovered. 

!       LOSS  OF  GOLD. 

The  loss  of  gold  is  inversely  proportionate  to  the  size  of 
the  grains,  the  length  and  grade  of  sluices  and  undercur- 
rents, the  depth  of  the  water,  and  the  completeness  of  the 
breaking  up  of  the  pay  dirt.     Frequent  drops  in  a  line  assist 


PLACER    MININH. 


in  disintegrating  the  gravel  and  allow  of  shorter  sluices.  In 
washing  hard  cement  banks,  it  is  advisable  to  use  plenty  of 
powder  to  thoroughly  shatter  the  bank,  and  large  lumps  of 
cement  should  be  broken  up  before  being  introduced  into 
the  sluice.  However  carefully  the  operation  be  conducted, 
there  is  invariably  some  loss  of  fine  gold ;  the  last  under- 
current will  always  catch  some  gold,  and  the  tailings  will 
show  a  trace. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

EXAMPLES  OF  PLACERS— THE  ALMA 

PLACER. 

As  an  example  of  an  ordinary  hydraulic  placer  mine,  we 
may  take  that  of  the  Green  Mountain  Company,  at  Alma, 
South  Park,  Colorado.  In  South  Park,  at  an  altitude  of 
10,000  feet  above  the  sea-level,  is  an  extensive  area  of  placer 
ground,  located  along  the  banks  of  the  South  Platte  River, 
and  extending  from  the  base  of  Mount  Lincoln  to  Fairplay, 
a  distance  of  over  'JO  miles.  This  area  consists  of  rolling 
banks  of  pebbles,  boulders,  gravel,  and  sand  on  both  sides 
of  the  stream,  covered  with  grass  and  a  few  spare  trees,  and 
sloping  up  gently  towards  the  mountain  sides  for  an  average 
width  of  about  half  a  mile.  Portions  of  these  placer  banks 
have  long  been  worked,  both  at  Alma  and  Fairplay,  but  the 
banks  are  far  from  exhausted.  The  principal  hy  *"aulic 
workings  are  at  Alma,  where  also  the  banks  are  thickest, 
owing  to  the  confluence  of  tributary  canyons  and  streams 
at  that  point.  A  powerful  body  of  water  is  at  hand  during 
the  summer  months,  and  the  beds  are  worked  continuously, 
night  and  day,  during  the  season. 

The  main  source  whence  the  gold  originated  was  doubt- 
less in  numerous  lai*ge,  partially  developed  quartz  veins  in 
granite,  at  the  head  of  the  ravine  above  Montgomery,  at 
the  foot  of  Mount  Lincoln,  where  are  the  headwaters  and 
main  sources  of  the  South  Platte  River.  Besides  these 
gold-bearing  veins,  the  quartzites  and  porphyries  of  the 
adjacent  region  may  have  contributed  a  certain  amcnrnt  of 
gold  to  the  placer  from  gold  disseminated  generally  through- 
out their  mass.      The  head  of   the  canyon    below   Mount 


PLACER    MINING. 


125 


IP 


Lincoln  was  the  starting  point  of  the  ghioier  that  carved  out 
the  valley  upon  which  the  Alma  placers  lie,  the  line  of  which 
is  now  occupied  by  the  Platte  River. 

The  character  of  the  predominant  pebbles  in  the  placers 
— quartzites,  granite,  and  })orphyry — suggests  the  rocks  at 
the  head  of  the  canyon  as  the  principal  source  of  the  gold. 
The  summit  of  Mount  Lincoln  is  14,400  feet  above  the  sea- 
level,  and  about  4,000  feet  above  the  valley  of  the  Platte. 
The  east  face  of  the  peak  descends  in  a  steep  cliflf  of  massive 
granite,  capped  by  quartzites  and  limestones  carrying  inter- 
bedded  sheets  of  porphyry.  The  face  of  the  granite  cliff  is 
traversed  by  a  great  number  of  wide,  parallel  fissure-veins 
of  quartz  and  feldspar,  carrying  more  or  less  gold  and 
pyrites.  The  valley  below  is  U  shaped,  betokening  the  path- 
way of  an  ancient  glacier,  and  scooped  out  of  granite  by 
the  ice.  The  rocks  over  which  the  glacier  passed  in  its 
downwards  course  are  rounded,  polished,  and  grooved,  form- 
ing what  are  called  '*  glacial  sheepbacks."  These  form  the 
pavement  of  the  upper  part  of  the  ravine.  Near  the  head, 
a  violent  stream,  whose  source  is  in  a  small  lake  in  a  glacial 
amphitheater  still  higher  up,  descends  in  bounding  water- 
falls— the  source  of  the  Platte.  Below  where  the  falls 
plunge  into  the  valley  is  a  small,  shallow  lake,  half  filled 
with  gravel,  supposed  to  contain  much  gold  scooped  out 
from  the  veins  in  the  upper  part  of  the  canyon,  and  a  scheme 
is  projected  to  drain  the  lake  and  work  the  gravel  by  a  cof- 
fer-dam and  underground  sluice  tunnel,  the  water  and 
debris  from  the  washing  passing  through  the  coffer-dam 
and  out  through  the  sluices  in  the  tunnel.  The  hollows  at 
the  base  of  the  waterfall,  contrary  to  what  might  be  sup- 
posed, are  not  found  to  be  very  productive.  From  the  lake, 
we  look  down  on  numerous  traces  of  the  work  and  pathway 
of  the  ancient  glacier.     Vast  bodies  of  huge   boulders  rise 


12() 


PLACER   MINING. 


I  !ES    ' 


on  the  slopes  at  the  base  of  the  mountain  to  a  height  of 
nearly  1,000  feet  above  the  stream,  with  here  and  there  an 
exceptionally  large  block  dropped  by  the  melting  ice  on  the 
top  of  the  moraines  on  either  side  of  the  stream.  Between 
the  moraines,  the  river  runs  through  a  long  meadow,  witli  con- 
tinuous banks  of  placer  material  on  either  side  from  50  to 
200  feet  in  height.  The  surface  of  these  morainal  banks  is 
undulated,  rising  and  falling  in  smooth,  grassy  swells,  like  the 
waves  of  mid-ocean.  These  banks  are  composed  of  * '  modified 
drift  ";  that  is,  the  rough,  angular  blocks  left  by  the  glacier 

have  been  worked  over  by 
the  stream,  pounded  and 
broken  up,  and  in  part  re- 
duced to  gravel.  When 
exposed  in  section,  as  at 
Alma,  they  exhibit  the 
structure  from  surface 
grass  roots  down  to  bed- 
rock shown  in  Fig.  39. 
The  structure  in  detail 
FIG.  39.  is  as  follows:  First,  a  foot 

or  two  of  black  turf,  in  which  there  is  little  gold;  below 
that,  a  foot  or  two  of  clay  with  pebbles  in  it,  and  then  a  few 
feet  of  sandy  layers,  irregularly  bedded,  in  dovetailing 
streaks,  as  if  formed  by  eddies  and  currents,  and,  likewise, 
comparatively  poor;  the  remainder,  to  bed-rock,  30  to  50 
feet,  is  composed  of  subangular  and  rounded  pebbles  and 
boulders  of  all  sizes,  from  a  fraction  of  an  inch  to  a  yard  in 
diameter,  cemented  together  by  gravel,  sand,  clay,  and,  in 
places,  by  iron  oxide,  into  a  tolerably  fine  conglomerate, 
which  can  only  be  successfully  attacked  by  the  point  of  the 
pick  or  the  all-destroying  Giant  nozzle.  Thes  banks  are 
continuous  down  both  sides  of  the  creek  for  several  miles, 


\n 


PLACER   MTNTNO. 


127 


and  are  thickest  at  Alma,  opposite  the  outlet  of  the  tribu- 
tary canyons,  Buckskin  and  Mosquito.  Here  is  the  site  of 
one  of  the  oldest  working  placers  in  Colorado.  The  banks 
have  been  cut  back  for  a  long  distance  from  the  river,  pre- 
senting a  face  of  vertical  cliff  70  feet  in  height  and  about  a 
mile  in  length,  channeled  by  narrow  ravines  and  gashes, 
from  the  inroads  of  the  Giants  and  the  cutting  back  of 
ditch  and  flume  waterfalls.  Some  of  these  cuts  are  short, 
narrow  gashes,  not  penetrating  far  into  the  hills;  others 
lead,  through  long,  narrow,  ravines  into  wide,  open  amphi- 
theaters surrounded  by  channeled  cliffs,  while  the  center  is 
occupied  by  piles  of  large  boulders  thrown  out  from  the 
sluices  and  stacked  up  in  the  course  of  the  work.  Winding 
through  these  paths  of  debris  may  be  seen  the  remains  of 
the  old,  abandoned  gravel  sluices,  telling  of  work  done 
long  ago. 

To  enter  one  of  these  amphitheaters,  where  the  work  is  still 
actively  progressing,  we  approach  by  way  of  one  of  the  ravines 
penetrating   the   hill.     From   this   ravine   issue   two   long, 


Fui.  40. 


snake-like  gravel  sluices,  shown  in  Fig.  40,  debouching  on 
to  the  open  river  bottom  and  natural  dumping  ground  by 
many  radiating,  short-curved  tributary  sluices.     The  water 


138 


PLACER    MINING. 


rushes  with  j^reat  speed  and  force  along  the  wooden  bottom 
of  the  sluices,  and  the  bigger  boulders  can  be  heard  rolling 
and  bumping  over  the  wooden  riffle  blocks  which  pave  the 
bottom.  We  follow  up  these  sluices  through  the  ravine  for 
over  a  thousand  feet,  till  it  opens  in  a  broad  amphitheater 
200  feet  wide  by  70  feet  deep.  Here  operations  are  in  full 
blast.  Several  flume  waterfalls,  shown  in  Fig.  41,  descend 
the  steep  bank  at  the  head  of  the  amphitheater,  at  varying 
distances  apart,  each  one  cutting  back  rapidly  a  sharp,  nar- 
row ravine  or  channel  for  itself  from  grass  roots  nearly  to 


Fig.  41. 

bed-rock.  These  waterfalls,  each  fed  by  its  own  branch 
from  the  main  ditch  on  the  bank  above,  cut  the  bank  into  a 
series  of  parallel  blocks  of  ground.  Against  the  sides  and 
faces  of  these  insulated  blocks,  two  Giant  nozzles  direct 
their  powerful  columns  of  water  with  crumbling  effect,  and 
the  partially  cemented  material  fades  rapidly  before  them 
as  mass  after  mass  is  undermined  and  topples  into  the  ref- 
use stream,  and  thence  is  hurried  into  the  gaping  mouths 
of  the  gravel  sluices.  Giants  also  speed  the  boulders  and 
gravel  on  their  way  by  occasionally  lending  their  force  to 
that  of  the  refuse  stream  which  flows   from   beneath  the 


PLACER    MTNTNG. 


VZO 


waterfalls.  Thus  sand,  y^ravel,  and  boiddtn's  arc  washed 
into  the  gravel  sluices,  the  bottoms  of  which  are  lined  with 
riffles  of  short  cross-sectif>ns  of  the  trunks  of  pitch-pine 
trees,  placed  close  together,  like  rows  of  lozenges,  or  like  a 
Nicholson  block  pavement.  Both  big  and  little  boulders 
and  gravel  roll  rapidly  over  this  block  pavement,  and  the 
gold,  by  its  gravity,  drops  to  the  bottom  and  is  caught  be- 
tween the  interstices  of  the  blocks  and  retained  there.  Its 
retention  and  deposition  are  further  aided  by  throwing  in 
quicksilver,  which,  by  its  affinity  for  gold,  collects  the  tiner 
particles  in  its  soft,  heavy,  silvery  mass.  While  the  boulders 
and  gravel  soon  find  their  way  to  the  natural  dumping 
ground  on  the  open  river  bottom,  the  gold  in  its  travel  stops 
long  before  that  point  is  reached. 

In  the  center  of  the  amphitheater,  a  tall  derrick,  driven  by 
a  lO-foot  Pelton  wheel  with  an  undershot  nozzle,  moves  a 
long  arm  slowly  around  over  the  area.  The  use  of  this  der- 
rick will  pres-^ntly  be  apparent.  One  of  the  flumes  having 
been  stopped  and  its  attendant  waterfall  having  ceased, 
and  the  Giant  nozzle  being  directed  elsewhere,  the  pathway 
of  the  refuse  stream  becomes  comparatively  drv  Then  men 
climb  into  it  and  pick  out  the  larger  boulders.  Loo  large  to 
pass  through  the  gravel  sluices — some  of  them  being  so 
large  as  to  require  blasting.  Then  the  long  arm  of  the  der- 
rick swings  around,  and  the  boulders  are  piled  into  a  large 
stone-boat  and  carried  around  to  a  convenient  dumping 
ground  on  either  side  of  the  gravel  sluices.  The  largest 
boulders  being  thus  removed,  the  gravel  and  small  pebbles 
become  more  exposed,  and  the  Giants  are  again  brought  to 
bear  on  these,  till  at  last  bed-rock  sandstone  appears,  full 
of  cracks  and  crevices,  forming  by  its  gentle  dip  and  in- 
equalities natural  riffles  and  lodging  places  for  a  portion  of 
the  gold.     The    bed-rock  cleaners  now  dig  up  and   shovel 


130 


PLACER   MINING. 


into  the  sluirc  the  rotten  surface  of  the  sandstone  to  a 
depth  of  a  foot  or  so,  or  to  such  a  depth  as  experience  has 
proved  that  j^old  occurs  They  probe  the  cracks  in  bed- 
rock with  their  '<nivesand  brush  the  rocks  with  small  brushes 
and  pick  out  any  stray  nuggets  that  may  be  concealed.  In 
the  bed  of  the  stream  descending  from  the  fiume,  men  are 
also  at  work  with  long-handled  shovels,  ground  sluicing,  or 
helping  along  and  removing  out  of  the  way  some  of  the 
boulders,  so  t-s  to  keep  the  water  in  as  definite  a  channel  r 
possible  and  prevent  it  from  spreading.  The  ravine,  whi( 
is  1,000  feet  long,  and  the  amphitheater,  200  feet  wide  by 
70  feet  deep,  were  both  excavated  within  six  months. 

PRBLIMIIVARY  WORK  AIVI)  PROSPECTING  OF  THI-:  PLACBR. 

Before  undertaking  this  enterprise,  the  ground  was  well 
prospected  and  the  presence  of  gold  in  paying  quantities 
assured.  Shafts  and  prospecting  holes  were  dug  down  to 
bed-rock  to  ascertain  the  depth  of  the  formation.  Prospect- 
ing by  panning  was  also  carried  on  along  the  exposed  sides 
of  the  gulches.  The  water  supply  was  considered,  and  the 
ditch  and  flume  planned  with  a  view  to  its  power  over  the 
underlying  bed-rock.  The  grade  of  the  ditch  was  also 
considered,  for  if  the  grade  is  too  great  the  water  cuts  and 
breaks  its  banks.  Three-eighths  of  an  inch  to  a  rod  was 
found  to  be  a  good  grade.  Penstocks  and  boxes  were  made, 
and  pipes  14  inches  in  diameter  attached.  The  Giant  noz- 
zles, having  been  attached  to  the  pipes  and  firmly  braced 
to  strong  wooden  platforms  on  the  ground,  began  to  play  on 
some  natural  exposure  of  the  bank,  while  the  ditch  flumes 
commenced  their  work  of  cutting  back  ravines  and  blocking 
off  the  ground  to  be  later  broken  down  by  the  Giants.  The 
gravel  sluices  were  constructed  for  carrying  the  pebbles, 
gravel,  and  gold,  with  a  general  grade  or  inclination  towards 


PLACER   MTNINa 


131 


the  natural  dumi)inj^  ground  on  llic  river  l)e(l,  and  the  rest 
is  as  aheady  deserihed. 

RKI.ATIVK  KICHNI^SS  OF  IJIFFKKKIVT  ZOIVKS  OF  THU  IIAIVK. 

The  richness  of  the  bank  appears  to  depend  upon  various 
conditions.  The  fine,  eddy,  top  sand  is  seldom  rich,  the 
best  gold  being  in  the  coarser  material  or  on  and  in  bed- 
rock. The  gravel  is  sometimes  cemented  by  iron  rust  to  the 
consistency  of  rock.  Black  sand  occurs  here  and  there, 
richest  where  rusty.  There  are  often  peculiar  courses  in  the 
sand  currents,  and  turnings  and  windings  as  in  river  courses. 
As  many  as  three  different  periods  of  deposition  of  gravel 
may  be  observed. 

RBSKRVOIR,   DITCH,   FLUMBS,  KTC. 

The  reservoir  up  the  river,  supplying  the  ditch,  covers 
about  5  acres  and  is  10  feet  deep.  The  dam  is  made  of 
gravel  and  brush,  cribbed  with  timber  and  having  a  gate. 
The  ditch  that  leads  to  the  highest  gravel  banks  is  two 
miles  long  and  carries  about  2,000  miner's  inches  of  water. 
It  is  12  feet  wide  and  3  feet  deep,  and  flumed  on  trestles, 
at  one  place,  for  240  feet.  The  flume  is  of  boards  12  feet 
in  length,  of  sawed  pine  timber,  forming  boxes,  built  with 
frames  4  in.  x  4  in.  ;  the  floor  boards  are  1^-inch  material, 
sides  1^  inches ;  the  flume  is  (J  feet  wide  and  .'J  feet  deep. 

At  the  end  of  the  wooden  flume,  on  solid  rock,  is  a  flume 
50  feet  long,  at  right  angles  to  the  main  flume.  From  this 
there  are  four  openings  to  smaller  ditch  flumes,  which  dis- 
tribute the  water  to  the  general  workings.  The  grade  of 
the  ditch  is  three-eighths  of  an  inch  to  the  rod.  From  the 
main  ditch,  a  branch  ditch  leads  to  the  penstock  or  sand  box. 
From  that,  two  pipes  are  laid,  which,  at  the  penstock,  are  22 
inches  in  diameter,  but  taper  gradually  toward  the  Giants 
to  10  inches  in  diameter.     These  pipes  are  each  500  feet 


132 


PLACER   MINING. 


long.  There  are  two  Giants,  of  the  size  known  as 
No.  2.  The  discharge  pipe  of  these  is  0  feet  long.  The  de- 
flector, by  which  the  man  in  charge  directs  the  nozzle  in 
any  direction  he  pleases,  is  screwed  on  the  end.  The  de- 
flector works  on  the  principle  of  a  bal'  and  socket;  where 
the  discharge  pipe  connects  with  the  main  casting  there  is 
also  a  ball  and  socket,  so  that  it,  too,  can  be  moved  to  right 
or  left,  and  up  or  down.  Leather  is  used  to  prevent  leak- 
age at  the  joints,  and  sawdust  is  thrown  into  the  sand  box 
to  stop  leaks  in  the  pipes.  Giants,  Chiefs,  or  Monitors,  as 
they  are  variously  called,  are  used  for  cutting  down  the 
banks.     The  water  that  is  not  used  by  the  pipes  is  allowed 

to  run  over  the  highest  part  of  the 
gravel  bank  to  cut  down  and  carry 
away  gravel  to  the  sluxes.  The  pipes 
use  200  inches  ot  water  to  each  Giant. 
The  ditches  carry  2,000.  The  volume 
carries  the  gravel  into  the  sluices. 
The  sluices  are  o  feet  wide  by  4 
feet  high,  or  deep,  paved  with  round 
block  riffles  8  inches  thick  and  of  vary- 
ing widths,  packed  on  the  bottom  of 
the  sluices  with  small  pieces  of  rock. 
(Fig.  42.)  So  great  is  the  force  cf 
the  water  in  these  sluices,  that  bould- 
FiG.  43.  ers  100  pounds  in  weight  are  some- 

times carried  from  end  to  end.  The  velocity  is  about  25 
miles  per  hour.  The  dip,  slope,  or  grade  is  4  inches  to 
every  12  feet,  or  33^  inches  to  every  100  feet.  The  sluice  is 
laid  on  bed-rock,  which  Is  sometimes  cut  down  to  admit  it. 
The  curves  of  the  gravel  sluices  are  made  like  those  of  a 
railroad,  raising  the  outer  side  of  the  curve.  There  are  two 
parallel  sluices  30  feet  apart.     When  these  two  main  arteries 


PLACER    MINING. 


133 


reach  the  bed  of  the  river,  which  is  their  natural  dumping 
ground,  branches  are  formed  so  as  to  spread  out  the  material 
in  a  fan  shape,  and  these  branches  are  extended  as  the  ma- 
terial accumulates.     (Fig.  40.) 

The  sluices  are  4, 000  feet  each  in  length.  The  riffles 
protect  the  boards  in  the  bottom  from  wear  and  tear  of  the 
gravel  and  boulders.  Old  riffles  are  left  in  the  bottom  of 
the  branches  where  no  gold  is  collected,  for  this  purpose. 
The  gold  is  mostly  found  deposited  in  the  first  400  feet  of 
each  sluice.  The  derrick  or  hoisting  gear  is  run  by  water, 
hoisting  big  rocks  in  a  stone-boat  by  a  gin  block  and  chains 
Water  is  led  by  an  S-inch  pipe  from  the  sand  boxes  to  an 
undershot  Pelton  wheel  with  If -inch  nozzle.  The  wheel  is 
10  feet  in  diameter,  and  the  drum  works  on  the  V  principle. 

CLBANING   UP. 

About  2  ounces  of  quicksilver  to  each  ounce  of  gold  in 
the  riffles  is  thrown  into  the  flume.  In  a  clean-up,  which 
occurs  at  regular  intervals,  the  riffles  are  first  taken  out  and 
then  water  is  let  on  to  wash  everything  clear.  The  packing 
of  small  rocks  is  taken  out  with  twelve-tined  forks.  The 
floor  is  then  cleaned,  the  gold  usu.^lly  being  all  collected  by 
the  quicksilver  at  about  200  feet  from  the  entrance  of  the 
flume.  The  quicksilver  is  shoveled  out,  separated  from 
black  sand,  and  carried  in  kettles  to  the  retorting  office; 
there  it  is  retorted  and  prepared  for  the  mint. 


>> 


I 


CHAPTER   XVIII. 

EXAMPLES  OF  PLACERS— THE   ROSCOE 

PLACER. 

As  an  example  of  placer  mining  by  turning  the  course  of 
a  river  by  means  of  wide  flumes,  and  leaving  the  river  bed 
dry  and  bare  for  a  space,  for  operations  down  to  bed- 
rock, we  may  cite  that  of  the  Roscoe  placer  in  Clear  Creek 
Canyon,  Colorado.  Clear  Creek  Canyon  is  one  of  the 
steepest  and  grandest  of  the  Frost  Range.  It  is  cut  through 
granite  rocks  for  a  linear  distance  of  some  40  miles,  to  an 
average  depth  of  1,000  feet.  About  13  miles  from  its  out- 
let on  the  plain,  the  creek  forks,  one  branch  leading  up 
towards  the  gold-mining  region  of  Central,  the  other  to  the 
gold  and  silver  region  of  Idaho  Springs.  The  main  creek 
receives  the  drainage  of  two  gold-bearing  districts.  At 
Central,  in  addition  to  gold  from  the  mines,  veins,  and  rocks 
direct,  the  creek  brings  down  a  great  deal  of  flour  gold,  the 
refuse  of  old  stamp  mills,  which  by  their  crude  methods  lost 
in  the  past  upwards  of  40  per  cent,  of  gold,  together  with  a 
great  deal  of  amalgam.  This  refuse  matter  has  been 
accumulating  from  the  mills  alone  for  the  past  thirty  years, 
not  to  mention  what  has  been  derived  from  the  rocks  them, 
selves  by  the  ordinary  process  of  nature.  Miners  and 
prospectors  in  past  times  obtained  a  great  deal  of  gold  from 
shallow  surface  washings,  without  attempting  to  reach  the 
deep-lying  but  coveted  bed-rock,  where  the  most  of  the  gold 
was  reasonably  expected  to  lie. 

Near  the  location  of  the  placer,  the  canyon  is  at  its  deepest 
and  narrowest.     Several  huge  veins  of  quartz  and  feldspar, 


PLACER    MINING. 


135 


] 


doubtless  carrying  more  or  less  gold,  cross  the  canyon  from 
side  to  side  It  is  by  the  erosion  and  breaking  down  of 
these  great  veins,  which  originally  stretched  across  the 
canyon  like  a  dyke,  that  we  enter  the  grand  portal  leading  to 
the  Roscoe  placer.  Originally,  the  great  feldspar  vein  stood 
as  a  natural  dam  across  the  waters  of  the  creek,  until  tiiey 
undermined  and  broke  through  it,  and  the  vein  collapsed 
into  the  creek  in  huge  boulders,  over  which  the  waters  now 
dash  in  foaming  waterfalls,  with  a  sudden  drop  of  30  feet. 

This  natural  dam  was  selected  as  an  excellent  point  for 
dumping  the  material  to  be  dug  out  immediately  above  it. 
The  debris  thrown  over  this  fall  would  be  rapidly  disinte- 
grated and  carried  down  stream  by  the  torrents;  so  nature 
supplied  one  of  the  first  reqr  les  for  enterprises  of  this 
sort — a  good  dumping  ground.  Above  the  stone  dam  is  a 
stretch  of  a  couple  of  miles  of  com[)ar.'ii  ively  slow-moving 
and  shallow  water  in  a  natural  widening  of  the  creek  bottom, 
underlaid  by  deep  gravel.  The  railroad  runs  on  the  bank, 
convenient  to  the  placer,  and  the  grade  was  also  convei  ent 
for  laying  alongside  of  it  the  pipe  lines  to  run  the  '  Hants,  etc. 
The  opposite  bank  was  low,  and  the  slope  gentle  and  well 
adapted  for  constructing  the  great  flume  and  ditch  to  carry 
ofif  the  waters  of  the  creek. 


PRELIMINARY    PLAN   AND  l^ORK. 

Before  commencing  operations,  the  ground  was  pros- 
pected by  shafts  do'vn  to  bed-rock,  and  the  presence  of  gold 
assured.  The  general  plan  of  the  work  to  be  done  was  as 
follows; 

First,  a  wide  and  long  flume  was  to  be  constructed  on  the 
south  bank,  capable  of  carrying  off  all  the  water  of  the  creek, 
which  was  to  be  turned  into  it  by  means  of  a  dam,  laying 
Jiare  a  mile  or  more  of  the  river  bottom,     At  the  lower  end 


1)30 


VLACER   MINING; 


of  the  property,  just  above  the  stone  dam,  a  pit  was  to  be 
dug  to  bed-rock.  In  this  a  Liidhim  gravel  lifter  was  to  be 
placed— a  large  funnel-shaped  pipe,  up  which  water,  gold, 
gravel,  and  stones  would  be  carried  by  the  force  of  a  Giant 
nozzle  below  it  into  an  elevated  gravel  flume  on  the  surface 
above — to  which  would  also  be  attached  several  undercurrent 
sluices  for  catching  the  finest  gold.  A  pipe  line,  some  two 
or  three  miles  long,  with  a  head  of  over  l^'O  feet  and  carrying 
l.OOO  inches  of  water,  would  give  the  needed  power  to  the 
Giants  in  the  pit.  As  the  workings  would  advance  up  the 
creek,  the  abandoned  pit  would  receive  the  dump  of  the  work 
in  progress. 

BUILDINCJ   DITCH   AND   FLUME. 

Two  things  had  to  be  done  simultaneously:  one,  to  build 
the  big  ditch  and  flume  to  carry  off  the  water  of  the  river 
and  leave  the  bed  dry;  the  other  to  build  a  pipe  line  to  get 
suflficient  head  of  water  to  work  the  nozzles  and  sand  pumps 
at  the  places  chosen  for  excavation.  By  a  natural  widening 
of  the  river  bank  and  its  encroachment  on  the  stream  at  one 
place,  the  channel  of  the  stream  is  locally  contracted. 
Starting  with  this   natural    advantage,    a   temporary  dam 

and  flume  was  built  of 
sacks  filled  with  sand,  to 
keep  back  the  water  till  a 
more  substantial  "triangu- 
lar "  d;  m,  of  timber  par- 
titions filled  with  stones, 
could  be  built.  Thus  a 
ground  flume  was  construct- 

|. ^f^ ^    ed,    as    shown    in    Fig.    4;{. 

Fig.  44.  First,  a  pile  or  wall  of  sand- 

bags next  to  the  water  of  the  ditch,  and  then  behind  that  a 
framework  of  timber  with  triangular  partitions  filled  with 


PLACER   MINING. 


137 


FIG.  44. 


138 


PLACER   MINING. 


stones  and  pebbles,  faced,  or  "  rip-rapped,"  on  the  outer  side 
with  heavier  stones,  until  the  nature  of  the  ground  should 
require  a  flume  of  sawed  timber  to  be  constructed, 

This  flume  that  carries  off  the  river  water  is  10  feet  wide, 
6^  feet  high,  and  2,000  feet  long,  with  a  capacity  of  about 
32,000  gallons  per  minute.  The  bents  are  4  in.  X  8  in.  and  lO 
feet  long,  with  braces  on  the  outer  side  at  an  angle  of  11^°. 
The  braces  are  2-in.  X  8-in.  plank,  5  feet  long,  bolted  to  the 
4-in.  X  8-in.  sill  and  upright  post.  The  flooring  is  4  inches 
thick,  the  boards  12  inches  wide  and  10  feet  long.  The  flume 
is  not  straight,  but  follows  the  course  of  thestream,  the  floor 
being  elevated  on  the  outside  of  the  curves  an  amount  cor- 
responding to  the  degree  of  curvature,  as  on  a  railroad  track, 
making  the  water  run  level.  The  grade  on  the  curve  is  1^ 
inches  to  10  feet.  When  the  flume  is  straight^  the  grade  is 
f  inch  to  10  feet.  The  angle  at  which  the  floor  is  cut  for 
joining  is  not  over  30  degrees.  The  sides  are  made  of  2-inch 
boards  10  inches  wide. 


WATER-POWER     AIXI>    PIPE   LINE. 

The  next  matter  to  be  attended  to  was  to  get  sufficient 
head  of  water  for  the  Giants.  To  effect  this,  they  had  to  go 
three  miles  up  the  river  to  a  point  where  the  descent  of  the 
stream  was  somewhat  steep  and  rapid.  There  they  built  an 
intake  flume  of  wood,  0  feet  wide,  4  feet  deep,  and  800  feet 
long,  to  a  penstock  or  sand  box  connecting  with  a  wooden- 
stave  pipe  48  inches  in  diameter  at  its  widest  point.  To  enter 
the  penstock  the  water  passes  through  a  screen  or  iron 
grating,  which  catches  the  coarse  rubbish,  such  as  leaves, 
sticks,  etc.,  floating  in  the  water,  and  the  overflow  passes 
through  gates  on  the  south  side.  The  main  current  passes 
into  the  penstock,  which  is  8  feet  square  and  10  feet  deep. 
At  the  bottom  is  a    well  which    collects  any  debris,  so  the 


PLACER   MINING. 


139 


140 


PLACER    MINING. 


water  passes  clean  and  pure 
through  the  penstock  into  the 
48-inch  pipe.  This  pipe  is  made 
of  staves  or  boards  of  pine,  band- 
ed with  round  steel  hoops.  (See 
Fig.  44.)  After  leaving  the  pen- 
stock, the  pipe  is  buried  for  a 
distance  of  about  100  yards  un- 
der a  stone  embankment,  and 
passes  by  an  arch  under  the  rail- 
road track  to  its  junction  with 
the  metal  pipe.  Where  it  has  to 
withstand  the  greatest  pressure, 
it  is  closely  banded.  The  pipe 
diminishes  gradually  in  diam- 
.-  eter,  till,  from  48  inches  at  the 
o  penstock,  it  becomes  22  inches 
^  at  its  junction  with  the  metal 
pipe,  which  also,  in  its  course, 
diminishes  to  1(3  inches.  The 
steel  pipe  is  three-eighths  of  a 
mile  long.  A  still  smaller  pipe, 
12  inches  in  diameter,  connects 
with  this  and  runs  parallel  with 
the  main  pipe,  forming  two  pipes, 
for  one-eighth  of  a  mile.  One 
of  these  pipes  is  for  the  Giant 
nozzle,  the  other  to  supply  the 
sand  pump  for  elevating  the 
gravel  from  the  bottom  of 
the  excavation  into  the  gold 
gravel  sluices.  The  pressure  on 
these    pipes  at  the  nozzle  is  87 


■ 


PLACER    MINING. 


141 


pounds  per  square  inch,  and  they  will  throw  a  column  of 
water  1G5  feet  from  a  nozzle  4  inches'  in  diameter.  With  a 
closed  pipe  the  pressure  would  be  ItS'j  pounds. 

Fig.  45  gives  a  general  idea  of  the  lower  end  of  the  works, 
and  Fig.  46  shows  a  panoramic  view  of  the  whole  plant, 
from  the  intake  flume,  far  up  the  canyon,  to  the  penstock, 
and  from  the  penstock  along  the  line  of  big  pipes  to  their 
final  connection,  at  the  lower  end  of  the  placer,  with  the 
Giant  nozzles,  and  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river  the  big 
flume  carrying  the  water  of  the  river  out  of  its  natural 
course  and  leaving  the  bed  dry  for  operations. 

The  pit,  above  the  stone  dam,  is  also  shown,  as  completed, 
in  Fig.  47.  Giant  nozzles  play  against  the  sides  and  into 
the  bottom  of  this  pit,  washing  down  the  debris  of  the  banks 


Pig.  47. 


and  excavating  the  bottom,  while  gravel  elevators  and 
water-lifters  force  up  the  material  excavated  to  an  elevated 
sluice,  to  be  winnowed  of  its  coarse  gold ;  and  thence  the 
gravel  passes  over  a  finer-gathering,   broad  undercurrent 


! 


142 


PLACER  MINING. 


sluice;  then,  again,  by  a  narrow  flume,  winding  among  the 
big  boulders  and  through  narrow  crevices  in  the  rocks,  to 
a  final  undercurrent,  where  the  finest  material  of  all  is 
collected  on  burlap,  or  sacking  material. 

DETAIL  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  WORK. 

It  is  necessary  to  explain  the  details  of  the  work  which 
the  accompanying  sketches  represent,  as  it  is  more  or  less 
complicated.  After  all  the  machinery,  flumes,  sluices, 
pipes,  and  Giants  were  in  place,  the  excavation  of  the  pit 
was  commenced  and  carried  on  down  to  bed-rock,  with  the 
aid  of  the  Giants  and  elevators.  When  the  Giant  nozzles 
had  been  brought  to  play,  the  material,  as  the  pit  deepened, 
was  forced  up  through  the  gravel  elevators  into  the  gravel 
sluice. 

THE  LUDL.UM  ELEVATOR. 

The  Ludlum  gravel  elevator,  shown  in  Fig.  48,  is  a  big 
steel  pipe  somewhat  funnel  shaped  towards  the  lower  portion, 


Fig.  48. 


the  broad  end  of  which  descends  into  the  bottom  of  the  pit, 
where  both  water  and  gravel  accumulate  from  the  work  of 
the  Giants.  Directly  underneath  the  end  of  the  elevator, 
at  a  distance  below  it  of  10  inches,  is  embedded  a  Giant 


PLACER  MINING. 


143 


nozzle,  together  with  a  portion  of  its  pipe,  receiviny^  a 
powerful  pressure  from  one  of  the  main  pipes  on  the  bank. 
As  the  gravel  and  stones  roll  down  they  are  directed  by  a 
box  in  upon  this  nozzle,  the  lower  portion  of  which  is  en- 
closed in  bed-rock  when  bed-rock  is  attained.  The  stream 
carries  the  smaller  boulders  and  dei)ris  up  the  funnel  of  the 
elevator  and  into  the  flume  above,  where  a  pipe  communi- 
cating with  the  main  flume  sends  a  flood  of  water  into  the 
gravel  sluice  to  help  push  along  the  boulders  and  gravel  that 
have  thus  come  up.  The  other  pipe  that  is  also  seen  enter- 
ing the  end  of  the  box  of  the  sluice  and  passing  down  in  a 
steep,  slanting  direction  into  the  pit  is  a  Ludlum  water- 
lifter,  sometimes  called  an  "elevator  pump."  It  works 
somewhat  like  the  gravel  elevator,  a  vacuum  being  formed 
in  the  lower  portion  of  the  pipe,  drawing  the  water  of  the  pit 
up  into  it.  The  power-pressure  nozzle  runs  about  a  foot  up 
into  the  pipe.  The  purpose  of  this  pump  is  to  drain  the  pit 
of  the  water  accumulating  from  the  (xiants  and  in  other 
ways.  So,  while  the  (iiants  tear  down  the  banks,  the  eleva- 
tors carry  the  water,  gravel,  and  gold  up  into  the  gravel 
sluices.  The  main  gravel  sluice  is  a  narrow  trough  or  box, 
208  feet  long  by  48  inches  wide  and  ;j  feet  deep,  laid  down  at 
a  gentle  inclination  on  the  top  of  the  surface  of  the  creek 
bed  from  the  lower  end  of  the  excavation.  It  is  made  of 
strong,  inch  boards  and  paved  on  the  bottom  with  square, 
8-inch  blocks  of  pine  wood  set  on  end,  so  that  the  grain  is 
uppermost.  These  block  riffles  are  laid  in  rows  quite  close 
together  across  the  bottom  of  the  sluice,  from  side  to  side. 
Between  each  set  or  row  of  blocks  is  laid  a  narrow  strip  of 
wood,  3  inches  high  by  ^  inch  thick. 

In  laying  block  riffles,  the  blocks  in  the  first  row  are 
placed  closely  side  by  side.  Then  the  strip  of  wood  is  nailed 
along  the  lowest  part  of  them  with  headless  nails,  not  driven 


144 


PLACER   MINING. 


home,  but  protruding  a  little,  so  that  when  the  next  row  of 
riffles  is  laid  down  and  driven  up,  the  protruding  nails  sink 
into  the  blocks  and  hold  them  fast  while  the  strip  is  being 
laid  against  the  lower  side.  The  gravel,  as  it  is  being  borne 
along  in  the  sluice,  drops  its  gold,  which  is  collected  in 
these  cracks  or  gaps  between  the  riffles,  prepared  to  re- 
ceive it. 

On  the  side  of  this  main  sluice,  and  connected  with  it  at 
the  head,  are  two  smaller  side  sluices,  a  little  below  it  and 
running  parallel  to  it.  These  are  lined  with  Brussels  carpet 
instead  of  riffle  blocks.  This  carpet  collects  the  finer  gold, 
while  the  main  flume  usually  collects  the  coarser  material, 
boulders,  gravel,  and  gold. 

Towards  the  end  of  the  main  sluice  a  few  of  the  block 
riffles  are  omitted  and  a  grating  substituted,  made  the  full 
width  of  the  sluice,  with  bars  spaced  J  inch  apart  and 
beveled  on  the  bottom.  This  grating  allows  only  loose 
stones  or  gravel  below  a  certain  size  to  pass,  together  with 
finer  material,  into  the  next  sluice,  called  an  "undercur- 
rent." This  is  a  broad,  shallow  box,  similar  to  that  shown 
in  Fig.  3G,  tipped  at  an  inclination  of  6  inches  in  24  feet, 
the  latter  being  the  length  of  the  undercurrent,  which  is  12 
feet  wide.  The  bottom  of  this  box  is  lined  with  a  peculiar 
kind  of  riffle.  These  riffles  consist  of  narrow  slats  or  strips 
of  wood,  laid  doAvn  on  the  bottom,  across  the  width  of  the 
box,  and  on  top  of  each  slat  is  a  piece  of  strap  iron,  nailed 
flat,  whose  edge  overlaps  the  slat  on  both  sides,  but  only 
slightly  on  the  lower  side.  The  water  passing  through 
these  moves  to  and  fro,  like  an  endless  pulley,  from  riffle  to 
rilfle,  dropping  its  gold  among  them  by  the  eddies  so  caused. 
There  still  remains  a  certain  amount  of  very  fine  material, 
carrying  even  finer  gold,  which  escapes  this  first  undercur- 
rent and  must  not  be  lost.     So  from  this  a  narrow  flume, 


PLACER   MININCr. 


Ur) 


winding?  through  a  passage  in  the  rock,  leads  into  a  still 
larger,  longer,  and  wider  undercurrent,  which  catches  the 
finest  material  of  all — in  this  case  composed  largely  of  finely 
comminuted  pyrites,  the  tailings  from  the  mills.  This  long, 
wide  undercurrent,  45  feet  long  by  24  feet  wide,  is  divided 
into  a  series  of  compartments  or  boxes,  set  longitudinally. 
The  divisions  are  formed  by  long  boards  a  foot  deep.  At 
the  bottom  of  these  boards  a  narrow  strip  of  wood  is  laid 
and  battened  down  on  the  burlap,  or  sacking  material,  which 
lines  the  bottom  of  the  box  and  receives  the  gold.  The 
burlap  carpets  are  drawn  off  by  rollers  on  swivels  and  trans- 
ported to  a  wooden  tank,  where  they  pass  over  a  series  of 
rollers,  laying  them  conveniently  open  for  inspection  and 
cleaning.  Every  visible  particle  of  gold  is  collected,  and 
the  rest  drops  into  the  water  in  the  tank.  Through  the 
middle  of  this  undercurrent  sluice  passes  a  small  flume  with 
perforated  plates  at  the  upper  end.  This  flume  is  intended 
to  catch  and  dispose  of  some  of  the  coarser  material  that 
may  have  passed  through  the  upper  undercurrent,  and  what 
finer  gold  there  may  be  in  it  drops  through  the  perforated 
plates  into  the  general  undercurrent,  the  coarser  rubbish 
being  carried  out  to  the  river.  On  cleaning-up  days,  which 
occur  at  intervals,  the  block  riffles  are  taken  up  and  care- 
fully inspected  for  gold.  This  leaves  the  bottom  of  the 
sluice  uncovered,  and  on  this  a  good  deal  of  gravel,  gold, 
and  quicksilver  has  collected.  This  is  carefully  shoveled 
into  buckets  and  examined,  the  gold  laid  aside,  and  the 
quicksilver  amalgam  containing  gold  placed  in  retorts; 
so  also  in  the  other  undercurrents,  together  with  the 
Brussels  carpet  and  burlaps  in  both  sluices  and  under- 
currents. 

The  bed  of  the  stream,  as  at  present  excavated  by  the 


146 


PLACER    MINING. 


pit,  shows  a  section  of  the  placer.  (Fig.  40.)  The  great 
loose  rocks,  by  foi-niiig  the  so-calied  stone  dam  across  the 
stream,  produced  a  natural  gathering  place  and  stoppage  for 

all  the   boulders  and  rub- 


bish brought  down  by 
floods  from  above.  Some 
of  the  boulders  are  several 
feet  in  diameter  and  have 
to  be  blasted  before  they 
can  be  removed.  Mixed 
Fxrj.  49.  with    these    boulders    are 

many  stumps  and  logs  of  driftwood,  some  of  which  show 
the  marks  of  beavers.  Half  way  down  the  section  is  a  dark 
line,  formed  by  a  thin  bed  of  peat,  marking  the  origin  of  an 
old  surface  soil.  Above  this  are  belts  of  irregularly  bedded 
gravel  and  sand,  showing  the  action  of  shifting  currents. 
Gold  has  been  found  all  the  way  down  from  surface  to  bed- 
rock, the  coarsest  and  most  abundant  gold  bting  on  bed- 
rock itself.  They  are  obliged  "o  wall  up  portions  of  the 
loose  sides  of  the  pit  Avith  cobblestones,  as  the  jarring  of 
passing  trains  is  likely  to  shake  down  boulders,  endangering 
the  lives  of  the  workmen  and  gradually  undermining  the 
adjacent  railroad  tracks. 

"  THE    END. 


n  i 


\ 


tmmm 


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